Greenland Review: A Summer Blockbuster In Winter

 

Release date: December 18, 2020
Running time: 119 minutes
Starring: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Theodore Scott Glenn, David Denman, Hope Davis, Andrew Bachelor, Joshua Mikel
Writer: Chris Sparling
Director: Ric Roman Waugh

A family fights for survival as a planet-killing comet races to Earth. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and young son Nathan make a perilous journey to their only hope for sanctuary. Amid terrifying news accounts of cities around the world being leveled by the comet’s fragments, the Garrity’s experience the best and worst in humanity while they battle the increasing panic and lawlessness surrounding them. As the countdown to global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven.

Greenland feels like your standard summer blockbuster disaster movie, except it is coming out in December.  But not to worry, this film has everything you would come to expect in those movies.  A potential disaster, a loving family hoping to survive, and a long journey to try and overcome the impending doom.  First and foremost, the movie has some really good special effects.  It makes me miss the theaters as this would have been a movie to watch on the big screen.  From the explosions to the bright lights to the overall spectacle, Greenland at least presents an exciting experience.  And the sound is just fantastic.  The roar of asteroids and the shattering of glass are all well represented, but the film is at its best when there are quiet scenes.  An eerie quiet as animals flee the area, the tense build up before some disaster, or a scene late in the movie with an intense situation and almost silence, all of these really provide a nice audio accompaniment for your eyes.

 

And this disaster film is made all the better by the great cast headlined by Gerard Butler.  The man knows how to be a charming action star and this is no exception.  It is what you come to expect from him and he does not disappoint.  Morena Baccarin is also wonderful as Alison, and she gets a chance to stretch her dramatic chops in several emotional scenes during the harrowing journey.  And Roger Dale Floyd as their son shows that he is a future star in the making.  The kid already has a very impressive resume and his performance in this movie should add to that.  He was emotional when he needed and added some depth to some very challenging scenes and situations.  

But Greenland also has more going for it than you generic disaster movie plot.  Greenland presents some interesting moral questions during this disaster scenario.  Some people go to great lengths to survive and Greenland puts some difficult decisions in front of the audience.  Do you stick together or sacrifice one to survive?  How far would you go to protect your family from certain doom?  And often when these are highlighted, the film has a great sense of tension and distrust.  Are those characters looking to help you or do they just want you to let your guard down?  And it also has a nice scene showing the sacrifice of military individuals that I very much appreciated.  All that being said, the story of Greenland is pretty convoluted to get to their journey.  And as with most of the movies in this category, it seems to be an overly complicated plan to get there.  But Greenland definitely ticks the boxes for an exciting disaster movie and gives you a spectacle for your eyes, ears, and heart.  

Greenland is the summer blockbuster you need for the wintertime, with exciting special effects, a great cast, wonderful sound, and some interesting moral choices. 

Rent it.

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Greenland is available on PVOD on December 18, 2020. 

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