THE STORY – The surviving Garrity family must leave the safety of the Greenland bunker and embark on a perilous journey across the decimated frozen wasteland of Europe to find a new home.
THE CAST – Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin & Roman Griffin Davis
THE TEAM – Rick Roman Wough (Director), Chris Sparling & Michell LaFortune (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 98 Minutes
You’d be hard-pressed to find any sliver of good news from 2020. It’s not a particularly pleasant time period to think back on, filled with dread and anxieties that most of the world has tried desperately to put as far back in the rearview mirror as possible. Among that horrific wasteland, there was one particular gem that was dropped that proved to be a surprisingly effective endeavor. Not much was really made in the conversation when it came to the disaster picture “Greenland,” and maybe some wanted to avoid a showcase of an encroaching apocalypse. For those who are connoisseurs of this genre, the bare minimum expectation was an entertaining ride that delivered on frivolous escapism. It was clever in its storytelling and presented a genuinely grounded depiction of such an event that brought real human stakes. It felt like a more polished and thoughtful entry, and was exceptional on those standards. Naturally, that positive word has led to an inevitable sequel in “Greenland 2: Migration.” Unfortunately, capturing the magic once again proves elusive for this mostly tedious effort.
The events of the previous film saw a giant meteor headed towards Earth, leaving a family to escape and find protection from the impending doom. They eventually rush into a bunker located in Greenland after the impact, and spend the next five years barely getting by as raging storms and deadly radiation ravage the surface. John Garrity (Gerard Butler) is doing his best to care for his wife, Allison (Morena Baccarin), and son, Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis), as they attempt to adapt to this new life. However, a violent tremor has caused their habitat to collapse, forcing them and a slew of other survivors to flee. Boarding an abandoned lifeboat, they set out for France, where it is believed the crater left by the impact could be the site of a potentially stable new life. But it’s a treacherous road they have to navigate, not only battling the harsh elements, but the distrustful and aggressive communities trying to survive themselves. John is determined to get his family to this new beacon of hope, no matter the cost to himself.
There are several elements necessary for making a thrilling disaster picture. The storytelling doesn’t have to be completely airtight, nor does the characterization have to be the most complex. What is essential is to showcase a decent spectacle that an audience can become invested in, with set pieces that feature mass destruction but are presented in an engrossing manner. As the major event has already happened, this film’s attempts to recapture that tone ring deadly flat. Ric Roman Waugh returns to the director’s chair, but his execution of exciting action mostly boils down to shaking the camera and fast-cutting during dreadfully dull sequences. The collapse of the bunker is a messy collage of images that confuse one’s orientation, and the natural disasters are short-lived and weightless. Save for an impressive scene involving a tsunami’s enormous tidal wave, nothing of what would usually make this an invigorating experience makes an impression. Most of the action has been offloaded to physical combat, but these firefights are just as monotonous. Credit is given to a singular moment of crossing a section of the now dried-up English Channel, as the creaking rope bridges and ladders are the only time some genuine suspense is dispatched in an otherwise achingly mundane experience.
These deficiencies are only magnified by the weak characters, which would not have been an issue if the other aspects necessary to create a more engaging epic had been delivered. There’s always a contract for these types of films, not to expect nuance or depth from the characters. Still, writers Chris Sparling and Mitchell LaFortune seem incapable of making even the slightest emotional connection. So much weight is placed upon the ultimate fate of these people, but every death is attached to a person we barely know. There is a notable contradiction in this narrative: it wants to litter our protagonists with expendable cannon fodder while also making every exit tinged with personal melancholy. The writing is not strong enough to support such emotional investment, and these characters are just as hollow as would be expected. The fact that the uninspired spectacle can’t compensate for these shallow characters only adds insult to injury.
Truly, there isn’t much to say about the performances either. Again, one would not expect masterclass work from anyone here anyway, and having Butler as the lead will set proper expectations. He can be an engaging screen presence, particularly when he fully commits to a role, no matter how ridiculous its parameters may be, but nothing here is required of him to stretch that much. His handful of cathartic moments are merely serviceable, and the same goes for Baccarin in a role that requires very little of her beyond slight physicality and stern facial expressions. It is slightly disappointing to see Davis deliver such bland work, considering his impressive debut in “Jojo Rabbit” was a very promising start. Given the character has been recast to a slightly older actor, whatever possibilities there were to craft a more interesting role fell short on the page. Davis doesn’t have much of an arc either, and ends up being yet another bland addition to the landscape. His talent can still be gleaned, but there is hardly an opportunity to take advantage of such gifts.
“Greenland 2: Migration” didn’t have a particularly high bar to clear. The first entry was unexpectedly compelling, but perhaps that was purely due to low expectations. Still, it was a very enthralling enterprise that, sadly, has led to quite a diminishing return in this follow-up. A flimsy plot and uninteresting characters would be tolerable if the dramatic moments of intense destruction were more intriguing. Instead, the palette is wholly bland and lifeless, unsupported by the framework of the storytelling and performances. A handful of impressive scenes come nowhere close to saving this picture. It’s disappointing that one of the most unexpectedly entertaining films of the last few years has led to a banal, forgettable project.
