Greenland may not be the type of movie we need right now, but it may be the type of apocalyptic thriller some fans want. It won’t displace anything from any critic’s ‘top 10 list’ of 2020 movies. Or top 20. Or 30. Or maybe even 40. But hey, in a time when our lives are consumed by a killer virus circulating in the air, what’s the harm in taking two hours to watch a somewhat normal family fight for survival as a catastrophic comet comes racing towards Earth? (That’s a rhetorical question).
For reasons that aren’t exactly plausible, Scottish structural engineer Jon Garrity (Gerard Butler, Has Fallen franchise), his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) and their diabetic young son Nathan are among the chosen “few” (or maybe hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands – I’m not really sure) handpicked for a government-run airlift to safety when it becomes clear that a recently discovered interstellar comet named Clarke will likely vaporize much of the planet. Soon.
The trio heads for a nearby airbase in Georgia where soldiers are checking-in passengers who got the special Presidential text and barcode. Mayhem ensues. The family gets separated. They spend about 90 harrowing minutes trying to reunite. They encounter good people and bad people amid the growing lawlessness and panic. Zero-hour is approaching. The kid needs his insulin. Mom and Dad realize how much they still love each other. And in the end… well… that’s for those who choose to watch to discover for themselves.
Greenland was supposed to come out in June – as PG-13 summer escapist fare in an air-conditioned theater – but we all know how that went. So now it’s available on demand, so you can watch the disaster unfold from the comfort of your own home. In winter. While waiting your turn on the coronavirus vaccine. See – things could be so much worse! At least there’s no imminent sign of a killer comet on the horizon. And if there is, we know where to go for sanctuary… the world’s largest island, Greenland.