Greenland (2020)
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
Written by: Chris Sparling
Starring: Andrew Bachelor, Chris Sparling, David Denman, Gerard Butler, Holt McCallany, Hope Davis, Merrin Dungey, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn
It’s the end of the world and Gerard Butler is once more right bang in the middle of it all, in Ric Roman Waugh’s by the numbers actioner that thankfully lacks the stupidness of Geostorm.
Geostorm….remember that? Daft, ridiculous and yet hilarious, it made you think would Gerard Butler ever want to star in a similar film again.
Well the answer to that question is of course a massive “Yes!” as now three years later, Earth is once more facing extinction and everything that can go possibly wrong for Butler and his family does so in a fashion that may have you rolling your eyes on occasions, but not once will you ever feel bored through out it’s 2hr of carnage.
Perhaps writing the word “Carnage” at the end of the above paragraph is a bit harsh, because what makes Greenland work is the fact that it’s ambition is to make the threat seem more grounded than relying on the next big action scene that would have Michael Bay standing up to applaud.
Butler plays construction manager John Garrity who is obviously estranged from his wife and son, because there is nothing better than a planet killing comet named Clark to bring the family back together.
It’s during his son Nathan’s (Roger Dale Floyd) birthday party that John while getting added groceries, gets a text message alert to say his family has been chosen and must leave straight away to a secret place.
Why? Well that comet that the whole world is tracking is not just eye candy, but in fact a kind of space rock that needs Bruce Willis and his team up there once more to do some extra drilling.
What follows depends on your taste, because if you can accept all the bad things that fall into the path of John’s family as they try to save themselves, then you will actually sit back and start to enjoy what is in front of you.
How ridiculous does it go? Well the danger ahead is signposted so much for everyone watching that it could easily become a fantastic drinking game.
“Oh the son has health problems…..watch him lose his medicine”….. “Oh look there is a medical practice that can save them……watch it get taken over by gun wavering looters”……”Oh look….a couple in a car……Why is the driver looking at the boy strangely?”…..and on and on and on…..
Any misery the writers can pile on the poor family, trust me they do and yet thanks to the quality of the cast, the film achieves a lot for its B Movie ambitions.
Butler can do this in his sleep, while the likes of Scott Glen and Morena Baccarin add weight to proceedings and the eerie news footage of what is happening to the world, adds a touch of realism as everything we know gets rained on by comet debris.
The film builds some suspense along the way and while nearly everyone watching will no doubt not be surprised at where we finally end up, in a year low of new material, Greenland ticks all the right boxes and does more than enough to appease as we await for the return of the big blockbuster.
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