The global catastrophe that was the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the path to viewers of hundreds or thousands of cinematographic productions. One of them was ‘Greenland‘, the 2020 film by American director Ric Roman Waugh, known mostly for action thrillers. ‘Greenland‘ belongs to the ‘disaster movies’ genre, but in reality it is also an action thriller triggered by a global disaster of a completely different nature than the pandemic. It is about that event – catastrophic, but with a low probability – which is the impact of an asteroid or comet or fragments thereof with our planet. We find out every few months that we will escape or that we have just escaped such an impact. We also know that something like this has happened in Earth’s history and that it will happen in the future. Prevention is virtually impossible and survival unlikely. Heroes try. This is where disaster movies of this kind begin.
The talking heads of the world’s televisions are unanimous in reassuring the inhabitants of the planet about the effects of the impact of the fragments of comet Clarke (after Arthur C. Clarke). The specialists are wrong, or perhaps they are lying, for the American government is setting in motion a secret plan in which a group of select and selected (based on useful professions) will be transported to Greenland and housed there until the plague passes. Disaster hits and the plan is put on motion. Why Greenland? Maybe because it’s colder there or because it sounds more exotic (not to say ‘cool’). Skyscraper engineer John Garrity is among those selected, but he and his family will not make it onto the planes flying to the new Promised Land. His marriage is falling apart, his only son is diabetic – all the odds are against. Will he be able to save them? What will he or won’t he do about it?
The plot is composed of a combination of stereotypes that we have seen in dozens of other similar films. And yet, ‘Greenland‘ manages not to be laughable for a few reasons. First of all, the threat is both real and realistically presented. Without excesses of CGI, using mainly the screens of televisions and mobile phones, the screenwriters manage to present the images of the calm before the storm and that of the breakdown of solidarity and social conventions and the transformation of people into beasts fighting for survival. Gerard Butler is well suited for roles of this sort and the rest of the cast supports him reasonably well. Otherwise, I couldn’t emotionally connect with either the hero or his family in peril. What’s for sure, I’ll be paying more attention to the news announcing possible impacts of our planet with other celestial bodies. The ending seems to pave the way for a sequel or perhaps a series of films belonging to the post-apocalyptic genre. I don’t think I will look for them, but if the opportunity arises I will watch them.