“Greenland” An Emotional and Gripping Disaster Flick
- Matt Palmer
- Jan 12
- 4 min read
Initial release date: December 18, 2020
The disaster flick “Greenland” was initially released in 2020 and made its debut primarily on PVOD and streaming domestically due to the ongoing theater closures during the pandemic. The movie’s sequel, “Greenland 2: Migration,” is getting the usual wide release and I plan on checking the sequel out sometime down the road - likely once it’s available on streaming.
John Garrity, his estranged wife and their young son, embark on a perilous journey to find sanctuary as a planet-killing comet hurtles toward Earth. Amid terrifying accounts of cities getting leveled, the Garrity’s experience the best and worst in humanity.
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.
There have been several movies released over the years that involve a planet-killing comet or asteroid, such as “Armageddon,” “Deep Impact” and the Netflix Original “Don’t Look Up.” Even though the movies that I have mentioned can be entertaining, they are not as gripping as the 2020 movie “Greenland.”
“Greenland” is a very gripping, realistic, and emotionally resonant disaster movie that focuses primarily on family survival, unlike typical spectacle-heavy blockbusters. I thoroughly enjoyed the grounded approach and the relatable human drama that’s scattered throughout which really makes this disaster movie feel more real.
While this movie does focus more on the family trying to survive, “Greenland” still delivers a good amount of nail-biting tension. There’s a frantic, chaotic scene at a military base where thousands of people attempt to storm the perimeter and culminate in a massive explosion, and this is where the main family becomes separated. There’s also a very tense sequence where a seemingly helpful couple picks up Allison and her son and once the man realizes they have the evacuation wristbands that only a select group have, he attempts to kidnap the son to get access to a plane.
The 2020 disaster movie also has quite a few emotional moments that can honestly be
a bit gut-wrenching. One of the most gut-wrenching moments is when the family’s neighbor begs them to take her young daughter with them to the evacuation site. They are sadly forced to refuse due to the military’s strictly enforcement of its "immediate family only” rule.
There’s another moment that can be highly emotional where the family is finally reunited at Allison’s father’s home. As the family tries to get her father to join them as they find an alternative way to safety, the father refuses as he chooses to stay behind and die in the home where he lived with his late wife. This poignant moment provides a quiet contrast to the surrounding chaos.
Overall, “Greenland” is a surprisingly grounded, character-focused disaster movie that subverts spectacle by centering on a family’s relatable struggle for survival. The movie blends genuine emotional depth and human drama, with some very effective action.
MPA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of disaster action, some violence, bloody images and brief strong language (runtime 119 minutes)
You can currently stream the 2020 movie “Greenland” on HBO Max.
Make sure to keep on checking my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook for some interesting trivia bits from the films I check out, along with seeing what else I plan on checking out for future editions! Here is what I have planned for the Jan. 21 edition: “Song Sung Blue,” “Drop” (a recent 2025 movie); “The American President” (In Remembrance Rob Reiner; award season series), “Interstellar” (award season series) and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s (award season series).
The comet is named "Clarke," in a tribute to the late Arthur C. Clarke, author of the 1993 novel "Hammer of God," which describes the impact on Earth of a planet-killing asteroid. The novel predates the movies Armageddon (1998) and Deep Impact (1998), which deal with similar events. And the novel "Lucifer's Hammer" written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, was written in 1977, and predates Clarke's novel.
Produced with the full co-operation of the US Department of Defense.
It is estimated that the film made around $32 million through video on demand.
Originally scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States, Greenland was delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was released domestically by STXfilms through video on demand on December 18, 2020, and then played on HBO Max and Amazon Prime. It was still released theatrically in other territories, beginning with Belgium on July 29, 2020.
In May 2018, Chris Evans joined the cast of the film, with Neill Blomkamp directing from a screenplay by Chris Sparling. In February 2019, it was announced Blomkamp would no longer direct the film. That same month, Ric Roman Waugh joined the project as director, with Gerard Butler being added to the cast of the film, replacing Blomkamp and Evans respectively, with Butler producing under his G-Base banner. In June 2019, Morena Baccarin joined the cast of the film. In July 2019, Scott Glenn, Andrew Bachelor, and Roger Dale Floyd also joined, as did David Denman in August.
Sam Elliott was almost cast, but talks broke down and Scott Glenn was cast instead.
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