Even though it has only happened a few times, it almost feels like tradition that the first official box office weekend of a new year delivers a Gerard Butler film. While the quality of the offering might vary, we know he’s one of the handful of genuine contemporary action stars who can deliver crowd-pleasing popcorn thrills with a degree of gravitas when needed. “Greenland 2: Migration,” which falls into the post-apocalyptic disaster movie end of the action genre, is a great example of that.
A sequel to 2020’s “Greenland,” whose release was delayed several times because of the pandemic and (like so many movies at the time), went straight to VOD domestically but landed in theaters in other territories. This time, it’s theatrical all the way, and the audience, a following likely helped by its streaming presence, is ready, or at least willing, for another treacherous journey.
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The first film featured Butler as John Garrity, a man attempting to save his family from a catastrophic, potentially world-ending event. Together, he, his estranged wife, Allison (“Deadpool” star Morena Baccarin), and their son, Nathan (Zahn McClarnon from “Doctor Sleep”), set out on a quest to find one of the last safe places on the planet in an attempt to survive.
“Greenland 2: Migration” forces the Garrity family to leave the safety of the Greenland bunker due to a combination of factors, and they head out across the wasteland of Europe in search of a safe space. In this almost mythical crater, the water is pure, the air is clean, and the vegetation is abundant. Can John, Allison, and Nathan, played this time by Roman Griffin Davis (“The Long Walk”), make it? Does it even exist?
Director Ric Roman Waugh returns to helm this sequel, marking the fourth time he and Butler have collaborated after “Angel Has Fallen,” “Greenland,” and “Kandahar.” While the first film established the human story, the spectacular action sequences were what pulled the audience in, “Greenland 2: Migration” flips that and delivers more big action set pieces. Still, it very much puts the humane story front and center. For the most part, that works; however, there are issues.
Returning writer Chris Sparling shares scripting duties with Mitchell LaFortune, whose previous work includes the Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu survival thriller “Last Breath,” and the Butler headlined “Kandahar.” The shift in focus makes narrative and creative sense because there is only so far you can go, even though that is quite a long way, with the action sequences before you creep into dramatically hammy “Geostorm” territory. However, beyond the Garrity family, you need other well-drawn characters for the audience to connect to. It’s not that “Greenland 2: Migration” lacks them; it’s more that, for the most part, they lack any depth or longevity. In most cases, some exposition is thrown out, they bed in, and then that’s it.
Right off the bat, characters are introduced who we are, of course, expected to connect with. Unfortunately, many are picked off pretty quickly to serve the story. For instance, as the fleeing bunker occupants start the evacuation, that is perhaps to be expected, as people fight for spaces on the escape boats, and things only get more dire. The most noticeable example of this is Obi, played by Ken Nwosu, whom they encounter not long after landing in the UK. He instantly feels like a missing piece of the puzzle, bringing an interesting dynamic to the survivalist pack. Elsewhere, even though we know this is a race against the clock, appearances by William Abadie (“Emily in Paris”), Sophie Thompson (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”), and Amber Rose Revah (“The Punisher”) also feel shamefully brief. This isn’t a meal where you get to savor many of the ingredients; instead, you have to devour as much as you can before the plate gets whisked away.
Perhaps something more was on the page or was shot and lost during the editing of this 98-minute action thriller, or maybe it was never there in the first place. Unfortunately, too many of those perfunctory characters will likely be as quickly forgotten by the audience as they appear to be by the film’s protagonists.
Butler and Baccarin deliver more of what they brought to the table in the first film, and they’re a good pairing. Still, he, in particular, leans into the opportunity to show off his dramatic acting chops. I like dramatic Butler, and we know he can deliver credible, serious performances; his turn in Ralph Fiennes’ “Coriolanus” is a particular highlight. Butler sets out to hit the emotional buttons, pulling on the heartstrings, and, within the constraints of the genre, succeeds. I appreciate the effort, but I’m still not convinced anyone watches these movies for the acting; it’s more about the chaos and destruction.
Once again, the devastating apocalyptic phenomena, such as meteor showers and radioactive storms, heighten the tension and bring the monstrous, nail-biting threat the film relies on. Although they do take a backseat to the human narrative, they still steal the show. No spoilers, but there is one action sequence towards the end of the movie that, although it might have sounded great on paper, doesn’t work, feels out of place with the rest of the sequences, and is unnecessary.
Overall, “Greenland 2: Migration” is a fair sequel, offering the best experience when watched on the big screen in a movie theater. It delivers more than its predecessor from a human perspective and offers enough spectacle to satisfy those who want to be on the edge of their seats, but I’m not sure we needed to take this journey. [C+]
