Released five years ago, Greenland was a disaster movie that was so much more than what I expected it to be. While I knew Ric Roman Waugh to be a reliable filmmaker, disaster films tend to be pretty disposable, even the good ones. But this one was different, for focusing less on the apocalyptic chaos and more on the people trying survive it, and the believable logistical and emotional turmoil that it caused. Greenland 2: Migration follows up with the Garrity clan five years after comet impact, as they leave the safety of the bunker to find what they hope to be a chance to start life anew.
Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin return as John and Allison Garrity, with Jojo Robbit’s Roman Griffin Davis taking over as their son, Nathan. The Greenland bunker no longer feels like a safe haven. The radiation levels are still high enough to be dangerous, there are fragment impacts everywhere, and of course, being cramped in such a place with others is starting to feel like a prison. When disaster strikes and the bunker is no longer viable, the Garritys strike out on their own to find a miraculous oasis of life in Southern France.
Greenland 2: Migration is a road trip movie, but it’s also got a ticking clock element to it. For reasons that I won’t divulge, John needs to get his family to safety as quick as possible. The focus is on John, the noble, protective papa bear and his personal journey. I think Butler has really expanded his range working with Waugh. That we can still believe him as the tough, action star is part of why he’s so effective as the noble, protective John. When John defends his family from an armed militia single-handedly, we can buy into it even if it’s a little far-fetched.
The supporting cast gets lost in the background, though. Baccarin doesn’t get a lot to do this time aruound as Allison. She’s mainly left to react to what John does, which is a far cry from the first movie when they were equal partners. I liked that Nathan has an interest in Astronomy and seems to crush on girls pretty quickly, but none of his subplots really go anywhere.
While there’s less of it this time, Greenland 2: Migration continues to highlight a diverse array of people just trying to survive. There’s a terrific diversion involving a nurse left behind to care for a group of Alzheimer’s patients. Another, involving a French family and their young daughter, emphasizes the need to leave something good for the youth to aspire to. Two generations of people that this film takes the time to consider how they would be impacted by such a global catastrophe.
The visual effects continue to be impressive, especially the devastated cities that are largely submerged underwater. The crashing fragments, massive tidal waves, and other events make for harrowing escapes and believable destruction to the environment. There’s a bigger budget this time around but it wasn’t all wasted on one spectacular setpiece, rather to make every scene a little more impressive and detailed.
I was appreciative of being able to see Greenland 2: Migration in a theater this time, because that’s where movies like this belong. Ultimately, it was another successful chapter in the franchise that kept me hooked from beginning to end. I honestly don’t know where things go from here, if anywhere at all, but if there are more, I’ll be there for it.
Greenland 2: Migration is in theaters now.
