If this week hasn’t already pushed you to your limits, Greenland 2: Migration is set to raise your stress levels.
This follow-up to Greenland envisions an even bleaker situation than the original. The 2020 disaster film featured a colossal comet named Clarke headed for Earth, threatening to wipe out a large portion of the global population. But what if, five years down the line, the survivors encounter new Herculean obstacles before achieving tranquility?
Greenland 2: Migration brings forth earthquakes, tsunamis, and radiation storms with lightning into the lives of the Garrity family — and that’s just within the initial 20 minutes. The narrative tracks their treacherous quest to a “promised land” where they aspire to find lasting happiness. Beneath the chaos and calamity, this sequel delves into the trials of being an exemplary father as Gerard Butler’s character, John Garrity, strives to protect his family.
Brace yourself, as Greenland 2: Migration will leave you breathless and in tears before the final credits appear.
Greenland 2: Migration imagines a fresh realm of dread and hope.
Set five years after Clarke first compelled the Garrity family into a desperate flight to a secure bunker in Greenland, this sequel portrays a world altered by the aftermath of the comet’s strike. The Earth is pockmarked with craters and devastation. In voiceover, John (Butler) notes that approximately 75% of the global population has been eradicated. Survivors battle radiation, making it perilous to venture outdoors without protective masks.
Within their bunker, the Garritys’ community shares supplies and discusses their fate. Food stores are scant, and tremors threaten their safe haven. Scientists speculate that the crater where Clarke’s largest fragment impacted could evolve into a new origin of life, with clean air and water, as well as fertile land. The natural disasters tormenting the bunker do not extend beyond the newly formed mountains created by the crater’s arrival.
Determined to provide his 15-year-old son Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis) and wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) with the best life imaginable, John encourages them to travel from Greenland to this promised land located in the South of France. However, the trek is fraught with difficulties.
Nature remains indifferent to the remnants of humanity, and resources and land are fiercely disputed. Bandits render the roads hazardous, while London is gripped by disorder. Similar to Greenland, the Garrity family faces both the extremes of humanity, encountering adversaries and allies alike. Throughout their ordeal, John pushes his family onward.
Greenland 2: Migration adopts a darker tone.
Watching Greenland felt akin to experiencing a panic attack. One harrowing event after another complicated matters for the Garritys, with worsening scenarios and the ticking clock of Clarke’s impact generating tension. The first film maintained a prolonged sense of urgency, separating John and Allison as they battled for survival and tried to reunite while keeping their young son — who requires insulin for diabetes — secured.
In Greenland 2: Migration, excitement takes a backseat to sorrow. The chaos of fleeing their suburban residence gives way to a hasty exit from a collapsing bunker, with everything they possess condensing into a backpack or two. The only reference to Nathan’s diabetes involves grabbing as much insulin as possible before vacating the bunker. Shouldn’t insulin require refrigeration? Wouldn’t he eventually run out? This film lacks the luxury for such reasonings.
In the initial film, the Garritys were ordinary individuals. Now, they’re hardened by trauma, vigilant and anxious, but less frantic than before. This evolution shifts the film’s tone from fear to a sense of weariness, weighing heavily on John, who harbors knowledge that others do not. Hints suggest that John’s scavenging trips outside have taken a toll on his health. His ragged cough serves as a ticking clock: Can he navigate his family to safety before time runs out?
Gerard Butler captivates in Greenland 2: Migration.
Butler has long been a reliable lead in action roles. Here, his strong physique withstands assaults from water, fire, stone, and violence. His commanding presence uplifts his family’s spirits during trials, such as crossing a rope bridge amid an earthquake. It also provides solace to his loved ones. He is not merely aiming to survive but is also crafting a path for his son’s future, one hard-won step at a time. There’s a poignant aspect to that.