by Shane Conto
Who is ready for a new big scale action flick starring Gerard Butler? That sounds so familiar, right? Butler has made a career out of being a tough guy fighting against criminals, terrorists, and natural disasters. Ahh…we all remember Geostorm. But here is a pleasant surprise, Greenland is a lot smarter and is filled with a lot more heart than you might have thought. After taking a much more personal turn with Angel Has Fallen, director Ric Roman Waugh delivers a large-scale disaster film that is anchored with a personal core.
But could this be true about a disaster movie made in 2020?
The genre has become bogged down with absurd films like Geostorm but Ric Roman Waugh breathes fresh air into his new film. Where films like Armageddon were filled with campy humor and plenty of Aerosmith, Greenland is a serious drama that has a broken family at the core. The film takes it time to build up a connection with the Garrity family. Roman Waugh goes with subtle story-telling little clues are laid down to allude to the shaky marriage between Butler and Morena Baccarin. What is most impressive is that when the film gets larger in scale, that core of family drama and human struggle is never lost. When it comes to the larger-scale sequences filled with falling rocks, the effects can be hit or miss. At times the sky is breathtaking, but whenever there are large fires, the flames look fake. Even with some iffy effect, Greenland is an effective and well-paced journey. I never once felt like the film lingered too long at any given point.
But what makes this film work on such a personal level?
Chris Sparling’s screenplay really does wonders for the film. Is this the most original and ground-breaking disaster movie? Not quite. But what really makes it stand out is the level of quality drama that is injected into the story. This is not surprising coming from the screenwriter of Buried, a high concept genre film that really maximizes its potential through human struggle. Not only does the script provide a respectful look into a family trying to build itself back together, it also provides something missing in a lot of disaster films…intelligence. This is not a big dumb film that operates off of foolish decisions. Each roadblock that gets in the way of the Garrity family is something that is rooted in the hysteria of humans in danger or in the biases caused by classism and nationalism.
But what is needed to top off this film to make for an affecting experience?
Performances. Gerard Butler is known for his tough guy roles but this one is quite different. There is a vulnerability there that lies underneath an insecure man who knows he ruined his family and wants nothing more than to pull it back together. There are few moments that require physicality and he obviously delivers. Baccarin plays a wronged wife who is hesitant about the prospects of fixing her marriage. But the love that both Butler and Baccarin show for their child is endearing and moving.
That is so essential to this film working and the cast certainly delivers.
Are you ready for a dramatic and heartfelt disaster movie to standout amongst the rest? Are you ready to see Gerard Butler give a layered and unexpected performance? Are you ready to see a film full of raw tension and suspense? Are you ready to go on this journey on VOD right now? If you are, Greenland is waiting for your arrival.
Grade: B