You can count the days on one hand now. Less than a week before the biggest holiday on the calendar, the one that brings families together (most years, now…). Yes, Christmas unites families as does imminent disaster (as the frequent lockdowns of the pandemic have proven). But what if we’re talking about mere hours, rather than these extended quarantine periods? Could you somehow set aside everything (conflicts, distance) to fight the panicked throngs and get your loved ones to a place of somewhat uncertain safety? That’s the challenge facing the Garrity’s in this Earth-shaking (literally) new dramatic thriller. Perhaps their only chance of survival exists across the Atlantic in GREENLAND.
John Garrity (Gerard Butler) toils as a construction exec in Atlanta GA. His ability to leave the site early rarely happens, but he’s hosting a big neighborhood BBQ/ watch party. But what are they watching? Is it a sporting event? No, they’ll be looking at the news reports as the much-publicized Clarke Comet finally enters our planet’s atmosphere. It’s generally thought that most of the comet will evaporate, but it’ll hopefully be a pretty light show. When John returns home we learn that his marriage to Allison (Morena Baccarin) is strained, but they’re putting on a happy face for their friends and their sweet seven-year-old son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd). On a shopping trip for last-minute supplies, the boys are surprised by a fleet of jets zooming overhead. In the store, the alarm setting from John’s phone begins blaring. It’s a message from the NSA saying that he, his wife, and son should pack a bag and report to the nearest air force base for emergency relocation. He and Nathan return home just in time for the first bit of the comet’s debris to hit. John is shocked when its force sends out a shock wave that knocks him to the ground and breaks the house’s windows. It seems that the government and media were downplaying the danger of Clarke. The trio quickly packs their bags and jump into their SUV. Of course, it’s a madhouse at the base as a mob tries to get past the gate. Luckily John shows the guards the text message code on his phone. Inside the hanger, they discover that Nathan’s diabetes meds were left in the car. But as John goes to retrieve them, the supervisors learn of the child’s ailment. Those with medical conditions are not allowed on planes. As the arrival of the big chunk of Clarke known as the “planet killer” nears, John is separated from his wife and son. Can they reunite and make the long trek to her father’s home in Knoxville in time. And could there be a way for them to find perhaps the only safe haven from the world’s end?
The most impressive skill set that the main cast utilizes is the ability to sustain a consistent level of hysteria in many of the story’s most harrowing sequences. In fact, this is the best work in a while for Butler, who has been bouncing between mediocre to near-unwatchable “rom-coms” and action “potboilers” for much of the previous decade. He makes John Garrity a believable “everyman” who is dumbfounded by the government’s efforts to “scoop him up”. Later we see his torment at having to ignore the pleas of his neighbors as he dashes away. And when he must defend himself (and he really tries to talk things out) we see the shock in his eyes as the violent encounter takes a fatal turn. Butler shows us how John pushes past the extreme trauma and exhaustion to hold on to his family. Baccarin is an equal partner, trying to comprehend this disruption to their lives, then switching into “mama Grizzly” mode to protect her child. Like her hubby, she nearly gives in to grief and despair but never lets that flicker of hope get extinguished. Floyd is a most endearing moppet, who conveys Nathan’s fears but is able to summon up his bravery in several harrowing scenes. A few of those are with David Denman and Hope Davis who are very effective as a helpful couple that might be hiding some truly evil intentions. A very pleasant surprise saved for the final act is the casting of the underused Scott Glenn as the patriarch that’s tough with his son-in-law (John knows that he’s “got it coming”) and tender with his grandson. He can’t stop a comet, but his Dale could protect his “kin” against almost anything.
Director Ric Roman Waugh (a former stuntman) does a terrific job giving us a sense of the scope of the disaster, while not losing focus on the intimate tale of a family slowly healing as they fight to survive. Thanks no doubt to some subtle CGI trickery, we can feel as though we’re right in the middle of the uncontrollable mobs that respect nothing in their path. The fairly tight script by Chris Sparling has a bit of an episodic feel or (for your classic film buff) the beats of a movie serial with the Garrity clan facing another new perilous challenge at the end of every “chapter” ( or in this feature film’s case every ten or twelve minutes). The stunt performers are top-notch, from a car chase through a packed highway to a punishing attack from above by hot comet chunks (a constant stream of flaming softballs). Overall the flick delivers what it promises in nail-biting, world-ending thrills, and suspense. After nearly nine months of stress, it may be comforting to see what could happen if things got a whole lot worse. It doesn’t quite have the nostalgic vibe of those 70s catastrophe classics (the Irwin Allen flicks or the AIRPORT series), but if you’re in the need of a ride that’ll keep you on the edge of your sofa (or recliner) than book a trip to GREENLAND.
2.5 Out of 4
GREENLAND is available as a Video-On-Demand via most streaming apps and platforms beginning Friday, December 18, 2020.
