GREENLAND

US, 2020, 117 minutes, Colour.
Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn, Hope Davis, David Denman, Holt Mc Allany.
Directed by Ric Roman Waugh.

Greenland is not the location for this popular thriller and disaster movie. It is a destination.

There has been a perennial popularity with disaster films. The audience expects a heightened story, an almost impossible scenario, special effects for fire, flood, crashes… Then there is the human element, especially family and relationships. Since the films are not meant to be documentaries, a lot of liberties are taken in creating the scenario, some impossible situations which to defy credibility (something which purists and science and fact-checking audiences condemn, as they do with Greenland).

It is over 20 years since there have been disaster films with asteroids threatening Earth. There was the outer space expedition with Bruce Willis, Armageddon. There was the more domestic drama and parable of the impending tsunami, Deep Impact. It seems that powers that be thought it was time for another asteroid crash.

Interestingly, in the screenplay, this is referred to as an “Extinction Event�, likening it to asteroids destroying the dinosaurs. Actually, this sounds rather heady, a category listing. While we have been naming disaster films apocalyptic or Post-apocalyptic, this one seems to be a cataclysmic catastrophe!

At the opening, all seems ordinary, John, a structural engineer at his building site, returning home to his wife, Allison, and seven-year-old son Nathan. John is played by Gerard Butler, not so much with the heroics of his Fallen series, but rather something of a strong Everyman (who is attacked and fights back, even causing the death of an opponent which preys on him). Allison is Morena Baccarin and a young Roger Dale Floyd is Nathan, a rather fragile boy, suffering from diabetes one, leading to quite a complication about medication and rejection from a flight.

There is talk about the impending asteroid, a lot of looking to the sky initially, then television news and images, the nearing of the asteroid to Earth, pieces splitting off and crashing to earth, the complete destruction of Tampa, tsunami repercussions, explosions and fire.

The main part of the film concerns John and family being selected for a presidential communication, that they have been chosen to survive, to make their way to an air base to get their personal wristband – but, as might be expected, cars jammed on freeways, rebellious crowds screaming, demanding selection, images of looters, and, volunteer military checking out people, getting them on board planes. But, Nathan has left his medication in the car – and there are all kinds of consequences, separation of family, John getting a lift but a fight for his wristband ensuing, Allison intending to go to her father’s house in Kentucky, being given a lift which turns sour.

But, obviously for a finale, the family is reunited and sets out again for a possible flight to Greenland. Actually, from the plane window, Greenland looks both green and snowclad, craggy mountains… And bunkers prepared for survivors who will build a new world.

Probably best to describe Greenland as a San standard apocalyptic disaster movie.

1. A popular disaster movie? Apocalyptic? Cataclysmic catastrophe?

2. The asteroid approaching her genre? The signs, the visuals? Repercussions on Earth, communities, world destruction? Survivors picked out? The masses?

3. The opening, ordinary, Georgia, with the building site, John and his work in schools, building difficulties? The return home?

4. The family focus for the film, John and the difficulties with Allison, the later revelation about his affair, and Allison blaming herself, the preparation for the party, the neighbours, his going out to buy at the supermarket, taking Nathan with him? The news of the approaching asteroid? The party, the guests, John getting the presidential message, on the screen? The urgency for packing, the neighbours, pleas, the woman with the young child, the family driving away?

5. On the road, the jammed highway, Nathan and his age, nervous, the blanket, leaving the medication behind? Going to the barrier, the crowds and the shouting, getting their wristbands, going to the planes, the discovery of the medicine missing, John going back and retrieving it, Allison and her plea, the rejection of Nathan because of his illness, Allison frantic, leaving, the note on the car? John, the return, on the plane, searching, getting off the plane, the crowd rampaging, the gasoline, the fires and explosions?

6. John and his journey, the note on the car, getting lifts with the group going to Canada, the friendly young man and the talk, the hostile man, the fight for the wristband, the dramatics of the fighting, the truck swerving, crashing? John waking, the two men attacking him, the hammer, his killing the aggressor and the repercussions? His walking, arriving at his father-in-law’s house?

7. Allison and Nathan, their journey, a pharmacy, the looters, getting the medication, given the lift, the genial couple, the husband and his mania, saying he wanted to protect the child, throwing Allison out of the car, their going to the barriers, telling Nathan not to speak, his speaking out, the rescue, the nurse and health? Allison, the lift to the airport with the Hispanic group, their welcoming? The search in the tents, finding Nathan? The military giving them the lift to the town? Her phoning, her father coming to get her, with John? Back to the house?

8. The continued threat, the television news, the images, the information and destruction of cities, Tampa, around the world? The time limit for the final crash?

9. John taking Alison and Nathan in the truck, the farewell to her father, her hearing John’s words with her father? Forgiveness and reconciliation? In the truck, the deadlock on the highway?

10. Going to the airport, the crowds, the small plane taking off, driving onto the tarmac, forcing the pilot to take them? The journey? To Greenland? The vistas of Greenland? The crash landing, walking, the bunkers, the military urging them down?

11. The crash, the repercussions, the waves, in the shelter, eventually coming out, the bird flying, some hope?

12. But the images of the destroyed cities, Sydney, Paris…?

13. The popularity apocalyptic disaster films?