greenland (2020) Review
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In the ever-growing pantheon of disaster movies, Greenland does nothing to distinguish itself. There is barely any story or character development here to speak of. Go ahead and file it under the instantly forgettable “Corona Release” category (see our review of recent release Archenemy for the definition of corona release). Greenland begins ominously enough and does a satisfying job setting up the realistic manner in which our protagonists learn of an impending meteor shower. Media coverage begins as the harmlessly benign science-y stuff most of us ignore before transitioning fairly rapidly from meaningless to terrifying. The movie then grinds to a halt. It’s a problem when in a disaster film the media sound bytes have more bite than the meteors. Greenland spends a painfully long time post first-bombardment lingering on the predictably volatile human drama while highlighting almost none of the carnage and mayhem showcased in the trailer. For a solid hour-plus the already simple plot doesn’t really advance. Part of the challenge of any genre film is creating a balance between character development and genre “action” (in this case, meteors). Greenland takes the curious route to abandon all action for the entire second act along with a sizable portion of the final act. Is it worth the wait for the finale? Not really. If a meteor shower was the cataclysmic event that took out the dinosaurs, Greenland makes it all look fairly unremarkable. Gerard Butler does a fine enough job with a role that doesn’t ask much of him other than looking concerned and/or very concerned. Ditto for the supporting cast. Greenland is fine as a two-hour diversion, just don’t go in expecting anything novel.
Greenland receives a 5.5/10 for all audiences. There is nothing here on which to base a recommendation. Watch Dante’s Peak or Daylight instead.