Rent Greenland 2: Migration on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Mitchell LaFortune and Chris Sparling (written by), Chris Sparling (based on the characters created by)
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
Starring: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roman Griffin Davis
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
The surviving Garrity family must leave the safety of the Greenland bunker and embark on a perilous journey across the decimated frozen wasteland of Europe to find a new home.
Verdict
This family faces the worst case scenario nearly every step of the way. It becomes ridiculous early in as the contrivance is beyond belief. I lost count of how many times they narrowly escaped death. The logic of the plot is dodgy at best, and the conclusion is predictable and emotionally overwrought. It's absurd from the beginning
Skip it.
Review
A sequel to Greenland (2020), the first movie was a race against the clock disaster movie where an extinction level event involving meteors was imminent. The government didn't reveal the severity, leading to a lottery for access to underground bunkers and in turn riots. The focus was on the Garrity family, but the movie fell into a lot of common tropes as it used marital problems as a means to add depth. The couple had no chemistry and the child seemed like a prop. I wouldn't have expected a sequel.
A quick voice over begins this movie acting as an introduction more than a recap. John Garrity (Gerard Butler) explores top side in a hazmat suit. Of course a storm appears instantly and he has to run to the bunker, barely making it back in time.
Five years after the first movie, the bunker inhabitants planned to stay underground for only three. At this point supplies are dwindling and above ground isn't habitable. That soon doesn't matter as the bunker falls apart quickly due to an earthquake. It's time to leave the bunker, though you're not supposed to go outside. It's a mad dash to the conveniently left life boats on the shore nearby.
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| Gerard Butler plays John Garrity |
John and his family escape the Greenland bunker just as the secret exit only John knows about collapses. Outside they run through the chaos of people, tremors, and jets shooting up from the ground. People are ripping masks off of others, clamoring into the few life boats. John manages to get into one, but he has to shut other people out to ensure his family's safety. Just as they close the doors, a giant tidal wave wipes out everyone left on the shore. The events of this movie have incredible timing, the way only a script could plan it.
This really is everything that can go wrong will. Boat trouble, no destination, and then they run out of gas. Did the boat not have a fuel gauge? At that point, they hope currents take them somewhere. Only in this movie would they reach anything. They find a submerged London. They can't get into that bunker, start a riot, hitch a ride, have a meteor destroy that ride, then remember they have a contact in London to provide them shelter. Everything about this is so contrived. It's a typical end of the world, big action movie.
John has had a cough since the beginning that he's dismissed as nothing. When the family finds some amount of safety, that's when he reveals how serious it is. It's ridiculous. This movie is designed to keep hitting you with shocks and surprises. Be especially careful if you're a character without much development. You'll probably die. The family's plan hinges on the theory that there may be water and clean air in a crater. It sounds outlandish, and this movie is relentless in the trauma to which this family is subjected.
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| Roman Griffin Davis, Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Nelia Da Costa play Nathan, John, Allison, Camille |
Some of this movie is seeing how the world has changed. The English channel no longer exists, but we do see a Spanish galleon and a dinosaur skeleton where it used to exist.
This soon reaches a point where I'm in complete disbelief that all of these events and circumstances can affect this one family. The timing and contrivance is outrageous. The Garrity family is on the edge of every disaster that occurs. I've lost count of how many times they've almost died. When they meet a nice family in France, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Nothing good ever happens in this movie.
There is a military unit defending the crater when they get close. Of course they face several obstacles on the way, but John's sob story that they've been through a lot works and they're allowed to pass. It's ridiculous. Everyone on the planet has been through a lot. What I don't understand is that if everyone knows this crater supports life, and it really does support life, why aren't they're so many people rushing it that they overpower the army? Even the way this ends is contrived, but that's in line with the rest of the movie.
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| Title Card |
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