A disaster movie in 2020, sure, why not! That’s exactly what the movie Greenland is starring Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin. It was another film that was supposed to come out earlier in the year, but got delayed because of the pandemic, but I also think it is a movie that’s kind of poignant considering what this year has been in the film industry. Entertaining, good performances, and showing us how humanity can come together during a tragedy is what this film is really about. I can’t honestly say that it is the greatest disaster film ever, but it certainly isn’t as Michael Bay Armageddon, which deals with a very similar subject, meteors hitting the Earth and causing a cataclysmic event that would wipe out Humanity. And, of course, what Greenland really has going for it is it’s definitely more plausible than some of the disaster movies we’ve seen in the past. I certainly like the film, but mostly because of the performances.

The story centers around a separated married couple just trying to navigate the crumbling of their marriage when a comet passing Earth is accompanied by meteors that are going to destroy the planet. Only a handful of people will be selected to go into underground shelters and survive because what’s coming is a Planet Killer, the same thing that killed all the dinosaurs. As it turns out our two main characters with their son were chosen and you immediately know why. Gerard Butler plays a structural engineer and you’re going to need those when you rebuild civilization. They are ordered to report to an Air Force Base, where they will be relocated to a secret underground shelter for survival, and while it’s supposed to be a secret, they are at a party where all of their friends and neighbors find out. So, like in true survival fashion, it’s everybody out for themselves what people start finding out about these secret locations and that the chosen will report to an Air Force Base. This is where it starts to get dicey because when the shit hits the fan and everybody’s out for themselves, of course, people will rush the airplanes and kill people just to try and survive. But for the two main characters, they are rejected because their son is diabetic and then they end up getting separated. That’s the basic story. It’s about whether they can survive and actually get to where they’re going, kind of reminded me of the movie 2012.

What I really like about this film is the performances and that you get to see the different sides of humanity during a tragedy. Our main characters want to do the right thing and of course, they’re concerned for their neighbors, but they also want to survive for their son. That’s very true to nature. They’re not the kind of people who are just going to leave their friends and neighbors in the dark and will at least try to get them information about where they can go to survive. Part of the main plot for this movie is after the two main characters get separated how they try to get back to each other while also finding that they do still love each other and that even though they made mistakes in their marriage they will do everything they can to help each other survive. Giving you another side of humanity. But along the way, you have one character who has to deal with rednecks who don’t like the fact that somebody who wasn’t born in the US might get a chance to survive and will steal their identity to where he has to fight for his life and kill one of them. And then you have a family who will do anything to survive and we’ll kidnap a child and try to fake their identity using the child to get on a plane. You get to see the different sites of humanity and film poses the question “what would you do,” which does make for a good story. This movie is a drama and I think it does a good job of asking “what you are willing to do to survive” and protect those you love, but also how do you do that without completely losing your humanity which most people will do when I get into survival mode. I think the best part about Greenland is the performances and of course even though he is not on the screen very long, Scott Glenn playing the father of Morena Baccarin’s character a great on-screen presence that shows in the film.  It’s a shame that we don’t get to see more of him, but his character also serves as the wise man who puts things into perspective for the other characters. There is an intensity to this film that is very good. All throughout the film you’re wondering if they’re going to survive or not. With everything that happens to our characters trying to get to the secret location, every step of the way you’re rooting for the characters and wondering can they just make it. I thought that was one of the best parts of this film and didn’t really know for sure whether they would or not. This film could have had a very different ending.

Here is what doesn’t work in the film. My biggest complaint is that we have this huge buildup getting to an Air Force Base and trying to get the characters on a plane to be flown to a secret location.  You spend most of the film dealing with them after being rejected and still trying to find a way only two somehow miraculously find some small semblance of Hope where everything magically happens for them. The build-up is so good for about the first hour and twenty minutes that last act feels more of a letdown. I do feel like the film is a bit uneven, with the intensity of these characters trying to survive. Because of all that they have to go through for the first two acts of the movie and you pretty much know how it’s going to work out. The CGI was fairly good and definitely gives us a great feel for a disaster film without completely overcompensating on the CGI. It definitely uses the rule “less-is-more“ to help build intensity. But it’s the third act that rely too much on the CGI of falling meteors and maybe that’s the purpose because there isn’t much going on compared to the first two acts of the film, but that’s also where filmed becomes unbalanced. It’s almost as if you have this great story for the first two acts and you don’t know how to end it so you’re rushing to just end the film and come to some conclusion. Maybe it’s about how it was edited. But the first two acts of this film is where it really shines. You have two hours to make a great film and the best parts of your film shouldn’t be in the first two acts trying to build up to some big ending that really isn’t there or is for the most part a foregone conclusion. But that isn’t to say that this film shouldn’t be viewed, I think that’s just a lesson on how a film should be written or edited and maybe with a second or third viewing I will change my mind.

Overall, I like this film. Greenland is not a bad disaster movie, mostly because it centers on character performance and really examines humanity. Unlike disaster movies from the past which relied too much on big action scenes, this one tends to go the opposite way. That’s why I can make the comparison to Armageddon, which was all about explosions and comedy, the pinnacle of any Michael Bay film, which doesn’t necessarily make for a great film. Although I will forever love the movie The Rock or the first Bad Boys movie. Greenland has just the right amount of CGI to give us just the right amount of tension or fear, wondering whether our main characters are going to survive… I think that’s the heart of a great disaster film. And I think this emulates more of another disaster movie that dealt more with human nature during a disaster, the movie Deep Impact which came out the same year as Armageddon. It’s easy to compare this film to other disaster films because we have a template for how they have been done before. And if there’s one thing I can say about Greenland, it at least it understands that a great disaster film the essence of humanity or the lost of it when people will do anything to survive. Narratively speaking, this is a better disaster film than we’ve seen in the past and that’s what Greenland has going for even if it is a little uneven. And I’ll always take a movie with great performances over a big action movie filled with big explosions and no substance. Greenland may not be a great film and you may not watch it over and over, but sometimes an okay film is exactly what we need especially in a year filled with disaster. Greenland may be better suited to see on the big screen, but this is a good film to watch at home as well and it is worth checking out even if you just see it one time… you certainly wouldn’t waste your money if you rented it from Redbox.  It’s an okay film for me.