Greenland Is Fantastic End Of The World Cinema - (Review)

Its not very often that we get treated to a climatic disaster type of movie but when we do, its majority of the time focused on the spectacle of it all. The concept of the world ending and humanity being plunged into a post-apocalyptic future is not new by any means, but the way that Greenland handles the idea is what sets it apart. In my eyes it is now up there with some of the 90's greats such as Armageddon, as it completely blew my expectations of what a disaster movie could be.

The heart of this story is purely how far will you go to protect you're family, what are the limits of human love and how survival instinct drive mankind. The movie follows Gerard Butlers character John Garrity, his wife, son and their perilous journey to find salvation after a previously prediction of an asteroid safely avoiding our precious earth takes a turn for the worse.

The entire plot felt authentic and grounded to a typical middle-class American family, the daily struggles of marriage and everything else life can throw at you. Garrity and his family have had a tense time as of late due to John recently committing adultery and also due to his sons ongoing diabetic condition. As the set up unfolds during a family party the cast are thrown into countless events that appeared more realistic than some of the sci-fi disaster movies we get these days.

A simple choice of forgetting medication as the Garrity family are chosen to be bunkered down in Greenland, leads to an almost road-trip style plot of them being separated. Something I did not expect to happen based on the trailers, it seemed they would be together for the entirety. This mistake makes the audience feel dire tension and dread along side the impending doom of extinction. As story points play out, some of these actions from characters would drive parents to the brink of insanity and just make a person break.

I enjoy a good disaster movie but recent movies such as Geostorm also starring Gerard Butler failed to deliver in many respects. Greenland proves that realistic characters, a strong focus on relationships and survival is the most important aspect of this form of cinema. Family drives us to do good and bad, people pushed to the brink in horrendous situations can become heroes, leaders or criminals. The film displays human nature perfectly in this way and the resolution to the entire film left me wanting more, but in a positive way. I was invested in this family and almost projected myself on to Butlers character as it makes you ponder, what would I do?

Greenland is an Amazon original movie and available on their Amazon Prime video platform for subscribers of the service. However for a film that never received a theatrical release due to the current global pandemic and lockdown, it has proven so popular that a sequel by the name of Greenland: Migration has been green lit already with the whole cast set to return.

Greenland has given new meaning to the genre and demonstrates nuanced characters and their human nature, are far more important than CGI spectacle alone. Go take a look at one of the best movies during the lockdown period, you wont regret it!

8/10

Written By John.P