Greenland
review by Bobby Blakey
When done right I love a great disaster flick. Add to the mix the always great Gerard Butler and I am all in. Bringing these two things together for his latest Greenland has him reteaming with Angel Has Fallen director Ric Roman Waugh and co-starring Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn, David Denman, Hope Davis, Andrew Bachelor and Joshua Mikel. Could this disaster film bring the expected action and thrills or will it fail to survive the fallout?
Greenland follows a family that fights for survival as a planet-killing comet races to Earth. John Garrity, his estranged wife Allison, 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. As the countdown to global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven.
Typically with these kinds of disaster flicks they are more popcorn films that are a ton of fun, but lack substance. That being said it’s what I expected here, but was surprised that there was so much more than just the throwaway disaster film. Yes the disaster element is front and center, but the film is more focused on the family trying to get to the safe zone. This pits them on a chaotic journey together that showcases the insanity of humanity as well as the dangers from above.
This may be billed as a Gerard Butler film, but he and Baccarin fully share the lead and both knock it out of the park. Their already fragile relationship is tested and pushed to its limits forcing them to put things aside and ultimately push them together to survive. Both of them bring the perfect emotion, strength and vulnerability to the roles that’s mixed with great chemistry that makes you really care about them as characters. This film steps out of just the popcorn film and streamlines the focus to this one family allowing you to get fully invested in them and not just the visual chaos.
Have no fear as there is some destructive moments that fans of these kinds of films love, but it’s never as epic as you might think. There are a couple of big sequences to set the tone and remind you of what is really going on, but for the most part they keep it more intimate and it just works. I really enjoyed this film way more than I had expected and think it could have been a sleeper hit in normal theatrical days, but due to the pandemic that just didn’t happen. I hope it finds the audience it deserves because it is really good.
In addition to the film this release offer up bonus content including deleted scenes, commentary and a featurette taking you behind bringing this film to life. Prepare for disaster when Greenland available now on digital, Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Home Entertainment.
