Reviews
Greenland 2: Migration
Gerard Butler is proving himself to be quite the January movie star. Between the original Greenland, Plane, last year’s Den of Thieves follow up Pantera, and now Greenland 2: Migration, I am starting to think there should be an Avengers style crossover with Butler pitted against fellow January stalwart Jason Statham for the ultimate bragging rights as King of January. It is also a curious coincidence that the director of this film, Ric Roman Waugh, is the director Statham’s upcoming film Shelter, and after this showing I hope that one fares a little better, as Greenland 2: Migration unfortunately lives up to the mediocrity of “Dumpuary,” despite a relatively promising start.
Set five years after the initial disaster, Greenland 2: Migration finds Earth reeling from the impact of the comet Clarke, which wiped out seventy five percent of the population on impact alone. The opening credits offer a visually spectacular montage of famous landmarks after being obliterated, with the Eiffel Tower snapped in half as a particular highlight. But the destruction did not end with the impact. Clarke has left behind inhospitable radiation levels across much of the planet, devastating superstorms, and constantly shifting tectonic plates that trigger frequent and catastrophic earthquakes.
Narratively, Greenland 2 does a solid job of justifying its own existence. Greenland, where returning family man John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and son Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis), now reside, is becoming increasingly uninhabitable. Radiation has made food growth impossible, leading to severe resource shortages. Adding to this is a moral dilemma surrounding migrants arriving on the island and whether they should be granted access to the bunker. During a vote on the matter, the American contingent is largely welcoming, while the Danish representative Lars (Gisli Orn Gardasson), is vehemently opposed, which given the current political climate, is rather ironic.
As discussions continue about the colony’s future, disaster strikes once again in the form of a natural event that completely destroys the bunker, exposing everyone to radiation levels capable of causing serious illness or death. From early on it is clear that John is already suffering from prolonged exposure, plagued by a deep, chesty cough. With this in mind, the Garrity’s have no choice but to flee. Alongside a small cohort of survivors, they escape in a lifeboat bound for England. Their ultimate goal is to reach Clarke’s impact site in southern France, where some believe that, much like theories surrounding the extinction of the dinosaurs, life may now be flourishing within the crater, offering humanity a much needed second chance.
Admittedly, after this compelling first act, my hopes for Greenland 2: Migration had risen considerably. So when the film positioned itself as a survival travel movie focused on the Garrity’s reaching this supposed sanctuary, I was thoroughly invested. It is, after all, a strong premise on the surface. Unfortunately, it is in the second and third acts that the film begins to derail. Too many ideas, along with far too many largely unnecessary characters, are crammed into an already short runtime, draining the momentum that had been carefully built. As a result, there are very few moments that allow tension or a genuine sense of peril to properly develop, something I could feel myself itching for as the movie slowly chugged along.
What makes this especially frustrating is that many of these ideas are actually quite good. One standout scene involves the family crossing the English Channel after the sea has dried up, forcing them to navigate a deadly looking gorge. Yet, like almost every obstacle the film introduces, it is resolved nearly as quickly as it appears. There is simply not enough time spent allowing tension to breathe or generating any real anxiety for the audience. This issue is only compounded by the severe levels of plot armour on display throughout the film. The term is often thrown around loosely, but here it reaches borderline absurdity. There is even a moment when Butler’s character mutters, “You’ve got to be kidding me,” which is funny because it perfectly sums up my own reaction, particularly when the family crosses an active warzone without so much as a scratch.
There are also some baffling character decisions that will likely leave viewers scratching their heads. The film repeatedly establishes that society has collapsed in the five years since the comet strike, with violence rampant and trust all but nonexistent. So why complete strangers, many of whom are in danger themselves, are so willing to offer passage, shelter, and even place their own loved ones in the Garritys’ care is a question the movie never convincingly answers. I will stay vague to avoid spoilers, but this particular thread is bound to cause confusion as it unfolds.
Because so many moments of peril are introduced and then immediately resolved, the film ends up feeling chaotic and tonally inconsistent. The sequel clearly wants to evoke emotion through its dialogue and narrative beats, but without allowing the audience time to process events, or any real reason to care about anyone outside the core family, those moments largely miss their mark.
That said, it is not all bad after the opening act. John Garrity’s character arc is easily the strongest element of the film and is handled surprisingly well. If there is one character audiences will invest in and root for, it is him. Visually, the film is consistently strong, capturing a convincing post apocalyptic Earth. The large scale disasters mostly look realistic and immersive, and there is an epilogue that neatly ties both films together which I thoroughly enjoyed, even if it does lean a little cheesy.
Ultimately, too many cooks in the kitchen feels like the most fitting description, this time in terms of ideas rather than talent. Had Greenland 2: Migration focused on developing just a handful of its subplots instead of juggling so many undercooked ones, this review might have looked very different. Instead, due to its disappointing execution, the film is likely to fade into obscurity and join the ever growing list of largely forgettable sequels.
