Greenland Collection

Action

Adventure

Thriller

Science Fiction

Greenland

STXfilms

Thunder Road

Anton

G-BASE

Riverstone Pictures

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

Gerard Butler

Morena Baccarin

David Denman

Hope Davis

Roger Dale Floyd

Scott Glenn

Andrew Bachelor

Merrin Dungey

Holt McCallany

Gary Weeks

Tracey Bonner

Joshua Mikel

Cate Jones

Mike Gassaway

Anissa Matlock

Randall Archer

Scott Poythress

Claire Bronson

Madison Johnson

Brandon Quinn

Kendrick Cross

Hayes Mercure

Rick Pasqualone

Nicola Lambo

James Logan

Alan Pietruszewski

Brandon Miller

Randal Gonzalez

Mike Senior

Esosa Idahosa

Keegan Boos

Kurt Yue

Kermit Rolison

Okea Eme-Akwari

Gabriela DeNardo

Jay Amor

Thomas Rosales Jr.

Rose Bianco

Aaron Gillespie

Tanya Ballinger

Suehyla El-Attar Young

Leeann Tweeden

Al Mitchell

Marc Gowan

Carlos Lopez

Adam Cronan

Jaime Andrews

Susan Williams

Shauna Galligan

Jennifer Badger

Paul E. Short

Mike Wilson

Christopher S. Bryson

Adam Morgan

Curtis Akin

Sarah Mays

Andy Hoehn

Jonah Levy

Kerry Mendenhall

Katrina Suhre

Dana Gonzales

Dave Isern

Caroline Monge

Justin Harper

Caty Maxey

David Iverson

Michael Kelem

Kyle Spicer

Taylor McPherson

Charles Grico

Adrian Jebef

R.J. Kirkland

David Connan

Michael Dzialowski

Shawn Knight

Brie Puneky

Chandra M. Alexander

Alexandre Ermel

Brynn Berg

Eddie G. Gutierrez

Johnny Stubbs

Raul Vasquez

Eric R. Johnson

Michael Klimchak

Kyle Hinshaw

Lynda Armstrong

Michelle Sfarzo

Elecia Avila

Paige Adair

Justin Dennis

Jared Greenstein

Frank Galline

Asta Hronn Stefansdottir

Zach Arrington

Justin Elder

Óttar Guðnason

Eiríkur Júlíusson

Christopher J. Schuster

Caitlin Rodiek

Randy Vega

Katie Starke

Ricky Aguirre

Arnold Dennis

Ólafur Björn Gunnarsson

Chris Paulina

Paul E. Woods

Antwan Tucker

Sophia Crawford

Charlie Picerni

Holly Dowell

Loyd Bateman

Ric Roman Waugh

Basil Iwanyk

Alan Siegel

Nik Bower

Kelli Jones

Carsten H.W. Lorenz

Danielle Robinson

Rowan Maher

Michelle Wade Byrd

John Friedberg

Kenneth Yu

K.C. Hodenfield

Clay A. Griffith

Gabriel Fleming

Chris Sparling

David Buckley

Jonathan Fuhrman

Deepak Nayar

Sebastien Raybaud

Francois Callens

Brendon Boyea

Michael Saunders

Robert Simonds

John Zois

Adam Fogelson

Laura Katz

Mary Vernieu

Victor Ray Ennis

Marc Massicotte

Katie Eischen

Jared S. Eddo

Alessandro Folchitto

Theo Kypri

Manuel São Bento

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @
https://www.msbreviews.com

This type of movie is always rather divisive between critics and audiences simply due to its nature. Story-wise, it's never groundbreaking or innovative in any shape or form. These apocalyptic films always follow a formulaic screenplay, packed with logical inconsistencies, but also with tons of thrilling action. Visuals vary in quality depending on the studio, as well as sound design and other technical aspects. I always try my best to accept *everything* these movies throw irrationally at the viewer. I prepare myself to be as open-minded as I can, and usually, I have no issues with that (actually, I find the "that's not how science works" argument a bit nitpicky in this subgenre).

However, Greenland fails to deliver the only thing I did expect from it: a planet-killer comet of pure popcorn entertainment. The only positive aspects are the cast and two/three sequences genuinely exciting. Gerard Butler is already used to this sort of film (Has Fallen series, Geostorm), so he has no problems in portraying another thin character with no real motivations or depth. Same goes for Morena Baccarin, who simply plays the wife of Butler. Both deliver good performances, enough to keep me engaged until the end of the flick.

The few good sequences are really good. Little scraps of the giant comet hit Earth before the extinction-level event, and these look great. Nevertheless, just this for a 119-minute runtime is far from being satisfying. As expected, Chris Sparling's screenplay is as generic as it could be, just like Ric Roman Waugh's direction, which doesn't really offer anything remotely new. Some narrative decisions (not related to science or technology because these I just accepted as part of the usual illogical stuff) are definitely to pass the time since they have no consequences whatsoever. Greenland is precisely like dozens of other movies in the subgenre, but without the technical aspects that end up elevating the overall picture.

The VFX look dated in some sequences, almost like they didn't have enough time (or money) to finish them. I mean, a static image of a meteorite shower as the sky? Really? Sadly, this comes across as amateur and lazy. The absence of a powerful score (David Buckley) makes the action scenes feel "empty", like something is missing. A few fighting moments are pretty much impossible to see clearly due to the overly dark environment and choppy editing (Gabriel Fleming). Overall, the action walks the line between decent and terrible.

However, the most significant "slap in the face" is the planet-killer comet that everyone is going to look forward to as soon as they enter the theater. There's no way of working around this: if an entire film builds up a third act's massive comet of the side of Europe, it must show it hit the ground in all of its splendor. The gigantic explosion of ridiculous proportions, the endless smoke that fills up the whole atmosphere, the distinctive sound of the impact... This is the moment that can make or break any apocalyptic movie. Unfortunately, and I'm only going to write this, it broke.

In the end, Greenland is predictably underwhelming, packing only a couple of genuinely exciting sequences, and a decent cast. Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin try, but they're not enough to compensate for everything else. As expected, Chris Sparling's formulaic screenplay doesn't add a unique storyline or innovative aspect to the genre, as well as Ric Roman Waugh's basic direction. This would all be fine if the action delivered what most people want to see, but sadly, this component is also quite a letdown. Despite a few occasional, riveting scenes, the entertainment levels are pretty low due to the unimpressive visual effects, lack of a powerful score, and poor editing, culminating in a "viewing-killer" disappointment. If you absolutely love apocalyptic films, maybe you'll find something enjoyable about it that I didn't. However, if this type of movie doesn't suit your preferences, then this one surely isn't going to convert you.

Rating: D+

SWITCH.

Briskly paced and littered with jagged, realistic edges though it is, 'Greenland' ultimately imagines a very sentimental planetary extinction. Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay this film is that it's far better than the annual paint-by-numbers Gerard Butler movie that humanity is used to receiving.
- Jake Watt

Read Jake's full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-greenland-a-gerard-butler-flick-that-isnt-a-disaster

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

“Greenland” ranks well above average when it comes to disaster movies. Screenwriter Chris Sparling takes the traditional end of the world blueprint and inserts some really nice surprises and twists, making this formulaic action flick seem not as much so.

John (Gerard Butler) is in a race against time to save his wife (Morena Baccarin) and son (Roger Dale Floyd) from an alien killer comet that is hurtling towards Earth. The impact of the big one is expected in less than 24 hours, and there seems to be no hope for any survivors. While at the grocery store, John gets a terrifying message from the Department of Homeland Security alerting him that his family has been chosen to flee to a safe haven bunker in Greenland. As the trio attempt to get to the designated location, a lot starts to go wrong.

Director Ric Roman Waugh worked with Butler on “Angel Has Fallen,” and he is a good choice at the helm. He creates a world of increasing panic and lawlessness, and you’re right there along for the ride. The movie has a brisk pacing, and the stakes are high. The special effects are satisfying, especially the scenes of destruction. That is, after all, why most of us watch movies about catastrophes in the first place.

Even more admirable is that the film doesn’t fall into the trap of the typical “rah rah” patriotic disaster movie. There are no waving American flags, no slow motion masculine strutting. Instead, “Greenland” sets its bar at a much higher level, and it succeeds. This is a really well done, enjoyable popcorn movie.

Cue the epic music... and exactly the same elements, acting, cinematography, and script that are in nearly every disaster movie in the last 20 years.

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Greenland

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Cast

Gerard Butler

Morena Baccarin

David Denman

Hope Davis

Roger Dale Floyd

Scott Glenn

Andrew Bachelor

Merrin Dungey

Holt McCallany

Gary Weeks

Box office

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