GREENLAND – A Review by John Strange
Greenland, like its predecessors Armageddon and Deep Impact (both from 1998) posits what might happen should a large enough rock (or comet) strike the Earth. Each varies their “what-if’s” but the thrust, the central theme, of each is the same, Man cannot, will not, give up.
In Greenland, the scenario is a previously unknown comet is approaching Earth and is expected to miss us. Not so surprising, there really ARE chunks that are going to be striking the planet.
John Garrity (Gerard Butler) is an engineer who, out of the blue, receives a “Presidential Alert”. He is informed that he needs to get himself, his wife Ali (Morena Baccarin), and son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) from their home in Atlanta to an Air Force Base in somewhere Georgia.
This story is about the travails the family endures as they try to get to safety. The trip, sadly, extends well past the Air Force Base. After all, if the trip across Georgia was all there was of this story, the movie would have been a short instead of a feature film.
The special effects are good, the situations are realistic enough to encourage shouting at the screen, and the acting is excellent. While I liked the acting of all the talent in the film, Scott Glenn’s job as Dale, Ali’s father was outstanding. The man’s attitude towards life and his angst at the thought of leaving his home, his late wife’s home, broke my heart.
Like its predecessors, this film has a good hook. It will keep you involved and rooting for the family every step of the way. Greenland is not a blockbuster film, but it is a good 4-star flick.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Cast: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd and Scott Glenn
MPAA Rating: PG-13) for intense sequences of disaster action, some violence, bloody images and brief strong language)
Selig Rating: 4 Stars
Runtime: 119 Min.
Movie Site: https://www.greenlandmovie.com/
Trailer: Greenland Trailer
Release Date: Available on-demand everywhere Friday, December 18th
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
