This article contains spoilers.
Just in case you didn’t have enough global catastrophes to worry about right now, Ric Roman Waugh’s new disaster film Greenland will be a sure addition to your possibly growing list of reasons to stress about the end of the world.
Set in modern day USA, Greenland follows the Garrity family as they navigate their way through the shocking events caused by the discovery and subsequent threat of an interstellar comet named ‘Clarke.’
Structural engineer John Garrity (Gerard Butler) reunites with his estranged wife Allison (Morenna Baccarin) and son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) at their home in Atlanta, Georgia where we are introduced to ‘Clarke’ the comet, mentioned on the news and in Nathan’s school-work. This friendly and intriguing introduction gives the comet its own identity and character, something seemingly gentle and interesting but with a dark, sinister shadow.
“We are held in suspense with little knowledge of the scale of disaster yet to arrive.”
When a small but deadly fragment of the comet lands unexpectedly in Tampa, Florida, the Garrity family are informed via electronic broadcast that they have been selected to take shelter in a protective government bunker. A clever but chilling idea, the other families in the Garrity’s cul-de-sac desperately try to send their young children to safety with John and Allison. Their helplessness and fear that they won’t survive Clarke’s destruction adds a frighteningly human layer to this extra-terrestrial disaster film.
A smart addition to the film, son Nathan lives with Type 1 diabetes, for which he requires certain equipment and medication. As someone whose brother also has Type 1, the familiar stress of John and Allison’s attempts to protect their son from both potential threats is crucial, and effectively portrayed by Butler and Baccarin, and massively raises the stakes for their survival.
The slow build of tension and threat with the gradual falling of fragments from the planet-destroying comet is effective. Like films in the horror/thriller genre, we are held in suspense with little knowledge of the scale of disaster yet to arrive, gripping the audience and maintaining interest in the family and their survival.
“Greenland captures the essence of the unconditional love and protection in a family.”
The film has received critical acclaim for its scientific accuracy, making this contemporary drama all the more unnerving for viewers, particularly given the current climate. Beautifully shot, there is a refreshing lack of overkill regarding CGI and special effects – action and disaster films are often littered with loud, explosive scenes simply for the sake of it. Part of Greenland’s success is its haunting similarity and relatability to today’s world – it is near impossible to avoid comparing this fictional global disaster to the Covid-19 pandemic, what with the government control measures, the news coverage and the safety of your family.
With a similar tone to John Krasinski’s 2018 horror A Quiet Place, this film is among other horrifying things, a moving portrayal of survival and family. From Allison’s harrowingly desperate search for Nathan in the medical tents, to John’s ruthless murder of a man who threatens his life, to the brief and calm moment between the three before Clarke’s climactic strike, Greenland captures the essence of the unconditional love and protection in a family.
The film raises the question, ‘to what extremes would you go to protect your family?’ The flip side of this is illustrated in the stressful and disturbing scene of Nathan being forcibly ripped from Allison’s arms on the side of the motorway, as the Vento couple try and use the Garrity’s bunker entry wristbands to reach safety themselves. Although a horrifically dark moment for the audience, who are rooting for the Garrity family, the fear, desperation and, perhaps, selfishness of humanity is emphasised in this moment.
“A true triumph, Greenland perfectly combines the fear and suspense of a disaster movie, with the engaging and gripping ‘rooting for them’ storyline necessary to maintain the audience’s attention.”
Perhaps one of my favourite elements of the film is the sequence of still shots towards the end which show the recognisable but unsettling ruins of wiped-out cities including Sydney, Chicago and Paris, with their famous landmarks now destroyed or deformed and no sign of remaining human life. A grey, frightening winter in the aftermath of a disaster of this scale, the audience are left speechless but thoughtful about the gravity of destruction caused by this unavoidable event.
It is in these moments you might be sorely reminded of the families in the cul-de sac who like billions of others perished without the security and protection of the bunker, turning the temperature of this film down even further and leaving the audience with the inescapable chill of these images.
A true triumph, Greenland perfectly combines the fear and suspense of a disaster movie, with the engaging and gripping ‘rooting for them’ storyline necessary to maintain the audience’s attention. An interesting enough plot, decent acting, superb cinematography, and a potential threat of epic proportions, Greenland sits comfortably as the best film I’ve seen this year. Don’t just take my word for it though – it is the perfect lockdown evening entertainment – go and watch it.
Alex Berry
Featured image courtesy of DilanArezzo via Pixabay. Image licence found here. No changes were made to this image.