‘Greenland 2: Migration’ Review: Leaving Behind Greatness For An Old Life

The first Greenland film was one of the best films of 2020, in my opinion, combining a thrilling plot with the disaster movies of old. This, coupled with the fact that it was a Gerard Butler movie, made it prime “dad movie” content and for intents and purposes, that was all it needed to be, making for a great time. Greenland 2: Migration tries to recreate this appeal but doesn’t exactly excel at doing so. Read our Greenland 2: Migration review.

Picking up years after the demise of the Earth, John (Gerard Butler), Alison (Morena Baccarin), and Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis) are forced to leave their safe haven of the titular Greenland bunker and journey into Europe to the crater in search for a new haven. The film explores the effects of the apocalypse on a person’s health and upon the landscape, creating a creative backdrop and challenges for the characters to face.

While it is nice to have a Gerard Butler January film (see Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Plane, etc.), this film failed to grasp my interest beyond the initial setup of leaving the bunker and being forced to endanger your health by just being outside. The urgency just isn’t there due to several plot elements ensuring that these efforts are basically for nothing, and the other characters who still have that urgency fail to be fleshed out enough beyond generic family member or friendly acquaintance in the apocalypse.

I think the closure this film offers to the duology was also unnecessary and leaves the film in essentially the same place it started. So why was this movie made despite trying to make money as a desperate bid by corporations to secure an easy January success? This, at its core, is why Greenland 2: Migration does not hold close to its predecessor. The first film had a great emotional core covered with thrilling danger, whilst this film is slow, boring, and flimsy in its attempts to recapture that spark.

I think some of the visuals this film provokes do surpass the first film, though, with unique backdrops and destroyed cities showcasing not only an apocalyptic setting but an apocalyptic world. The absence of seas and washed-up ships really makes this an interesting watch, even if eventually boring as I said above.

Greenland 2: Migration fails to capture the charm and thrills of 2020’s Greenland, clearly being made with a lack of, or lesser passion, compared to the first. It’s not all bad though, with interesting settings and conceptual challenges that make this a weak but ultimately passable time at the multiplex.

Greenland 2: Migration stars Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, and Roman Griffin Davis. The film was distributed by Lionsgate theatrically and is now available on digital and PVOD formats. Watch it below:

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