If I am to choose a movie, disaster movies are maybe among the last ones, before horror of course, but for some reason, two days ago I decided to give a try to Greenland (2020). There were several reasons actually, but the main reasons was one of the cast member.
Gerard Butler is a respected name in the film industry and although I'm not his no. 1 fan, still have a huge respect towards his work, so I said this is the movie I'm going to watch.
A family fights for survival as a planet-killing comet races toward Earth. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and young son Nathan make a perilous journey to their only hope for sanctuary. Amid terrifying news accounts of cities around the world being leveled by the comet's fragments, the Garritys experience the best and worst in humanity while they battle the increasing panic and lawlessness surrounding them. As the countdown to the global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven.
If you read the storyline and have some experience with this genre, you kind of have an idea as to what to expect and this movie is not any different. The difference between them lays in where the story goes, in the details and how the actors are playing their roles.
In Greenland, you can see the story divided between the family story and the disaster that is threatening our planet, or their planet I should say as this is pure fiction, which is why special effects are closely monitored by every viewer and judged as well.
The story starts with a tried family, dealing with a lot of problems marriage and a sick kid brings, to which adds more problems the arriving comet. They are selected to be sheltered in a special bunker and this is where the hard decisions start for them. Fight for survival is never easy.
Watching the story unfold, even if you are not in their shoes, you still think of what you'd have done, how you'd have reacted if you were in their shoes. This is where the movie fails or should I say, it doesn't rise to the expected level. I'm not the type to dissect every scene and analyze it with a magnifying glass, I'd rather try to enjoy what I see, but even so, there were so many mistakes or stupid decisions that it is hard not to notice them. I understand that they were constantly forced to make split second decisions and when you're under a lot of stress, you don't always make the most logical and right decision (and they made a lot of very bad decisions), but even so, the script could have been written better in this regard.
The weakest link in the movie is the kid, his role is terrible and annoying, so I kind of feel sorry for the actor, to land such a role as I don't know how it helps his career.
Surprisingly, after six years, still has a 6.4/10 reputation on IMDb. Gerard Butler has a pretty good reputation in the industry, but I'm pretty sure this is not the role he wants to be remembered for. What surprised me even more was the fact that at the beginning of this year, they released Greenland 2: Migration, which at the time of writing is rated 5.2/10. I haven't seen part two yet and I'm not sure I want to watch it, but we'll see.
The funny thing is, after watching the movie, I went to check the reviews on my favorite Hungarian platform and had the time of my life. Some movie enthusiasts took the time to dissect it to the smallest detail and point out every mistake. Thinking back after reading their review, I can see all of it, but then again, we're not movie critics and if you want to enjoy it, instead of getting angry every minute, you need to be more forgiven.
I can give it a 6/10, but not more.
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