"Sometimes you just got to suck it up. Push through. Even when you're super scared."
"Two days. They got it all wrong. There’s a shit-ton of fragments on that thing. They’re saying that one of them is a planet killer. And now they’ve grounded all non-military flights. I mean, what do we do?"
— Ed Pruitt
Greenland is a 2020 disaster film directed by Ric Roman Waugh (Angel Has Fallen).
When a meteor passing by Earth is revealed to cause The End of the World as We Know It, engineer John Garrity (Gerard Butler) must lead his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) and their diabetic son to safety before the meteor hits.
A sequel, Greenland: Migration, is in development
, with Waugh, Butler and Baccarin set to return.
This film has the following tropes:
- Accidental Murder: Crosses into Killing in Self-Defense. John fights with a bigoted man trying to steal his wristband that allows him to board an evacuation plane. John fights back with a hammer in self defense, but accidentally strikes the bigoted man in the head with the sharp end of the hammer, killing him.
- Action Dad: John. He kills a man who tries to take his wristband, albeit accidentally.
- After the End: Fast-forward to about nine months after the world ended. We see just how extensive the damage is.
- Apocalypse Anarchy: Allison encounters both the positive and negative sides of this. An organized group with guns raiding a grocery store and killing people, but also a rooftop party of younger people dancing and drinking the final hours away.
- The Apocalypse Brings Out the Best in People: As the world comes to an end, while Apocalypse Anarchy is prevalent, there are just as many instances of this happening as well. Some spoileriffic examples are:
- A man who's joined up with a gang armed with guns to steal from a pharmacy allows Allison and Nathan to escape without harming them.
- Ralph and Judy Vento allow Allison and Nathan to ride with them. Unfortunately, Ralph then realizes they have the wristbands to board a government evacuation plane, and takes the opportunity to steal Allison's wristband and kidnap Nathan to get himself and his wife on the planes, much to the horror of his wife.
- A Mexican family driving on the highway stop to pick up Allison and bring her to the where Nathan was taken, and she didn't flag them down, they stopped to pick her up.
- Apocalypse How: Class 4. The comet has wiped out most life on the surface, but humanity and a couple other species are shown to have survived.
- Apocalyptic Montage: We see the ruins of Sydney, Paris, Mexico City, and Chicago nine months after Clarke made landfall.
- Armor-Piercing Response: After Nathan is denied boarding due to his diabetes.Allison: What if this was your family?Officer: My family wasn't selected, ma'am.
- Artistic License – Space: Despite being one of the more grounded space-based disaster films, there are still a few awkward points to be found:
- The fragment that hits Tampa, being as large as a football stadium, apparently manages to make landfall without anyone knowing about it until it actually hits. In real life, NASA and other space agencies around the world can accurately track the trajectory of most objects larger than a house, so something the size of the fragment in question would be quickly identified and its movements estimated. However, given that the entire "recruit people to re-establish society after the end" plan would have taken lots of time to implement, it seems plausible that the government had some idea of how bad things were going to become, and may have known that Tampa would be hit - but kept quiet to reduce societal disruption.
- The ending sequence shows that the comet itself slams somewhere into Western Europe, sending a gigantic shockwave rushing across the continent and towards Greenland, yet the aftermath shows Paris destroyed, but still recognizable; in reality, Paris - along with great swathes of Europe - would have quite literally been wiped off the map, leaving nothing but dust and hunks of scattered molten metal and rock.
- Sydney, Australia, is shown as one of the destroyed cities, along with Chicago and Mexico City. For these three cities to be wiped out, presumably by a shockwave, the comet would have to be substantially larger for the shockwave to remain strong enough to devastate these locations... and for quite obvious reasons, humanity probably wouldn’t survive such a collision that led to effects in such disparate locations. (It's possible, though, that these cities were hit by smaller fragments traveling along with the primary one).
- If you were close enough to see a meteor nine miles in diameter blazing across the sky at the altitude depicted, you would be dead just from the shockwave its passage would bring. Nobody still above ground who witnessed that would live to tell the tale. One of the few times where Rule of Drama is invoked, as the sight of Clarke's largest fragment screaming toward impact is one of the most striking in the movie.
- After an impact of that magnitude the people in the bunkers wouldn't be coming out to an inhabitable Earth in 9 months. The primary effects alone (the firestorms, extreme temperatures, ashfall, crisscrossing tsunamis) would take years to resolve. The secondary effects (ash in the upper atmosphere, a new Ice Age, huge amounts of toxic gasses released, the evaporated water returning to Earth, etc.) would take decades to centuries. And even after that, the planet still would be mostly lifeless except in the deep seas and the tiny number of protected enclaves. Humanity might survive, but it would be a very, very hard road ahead, and it would be quite possible that generations would have to live their lives underground before it was safe to emerge.
- Asshole Victim: A bigoted man and his buddy try to steal John's wristband so that he could get on a flight to Greenland. John kills him, and the asshole's buddy doesn't try to keep fighting.
- Ralph may qualify as well, as he's last seen being arrested by the military for kidnapping a child and posing as his father just to be given a selfish chance at survival, which means he almost certainly didn't make it to a safe location in time before the comet struck the Earth. It's unfortunate that his wife, who never agreed with his plan and was forced to go along with it, ended up collateral damage.
- Believing Their Own Lies: Ralph seems to honestly believe his claims that kidnapping Nathan from his mother will give Nathan a better chance of survival and that there isn't any chance that he'll just be turned away a second time.
- Benevolent Conspiracy: The US government begins recruiting people to evacuate as soon as an ice fragment destroys Tampa. This is a subtle clue that the authorities have known for some time just how serious the situation is, and is suppressing the truth to avoid mass hysteria. Considering the crowd of people that breaks through the barriers of the military base, overwhelms the soldiers, and accidentally blows up several of the planes taking refugees away, maintaining silence might have been the correct thing to do.
- Bittersweet Ending: The meteor hits, and practically annihilates all life on Earth. However, 9 months later, the ash and fallout begins to settle. We not only see the survivors of the Greenland bunker emerge and find a flock of birds flying about, but can also hear radio chatter of several different bunkers around the world beginning to communicate, signaling that society may be able to rebuild.
- Cell Phones Are Useless: They certainly will be when the system is overwhelmed by huge numbers of users attempting to call and text each other. John even lampshades this, saying that this stuff should work in case of an emergency. It also becomes a problem when Allison and Nathan are turned away from the plane and forced back to the car. Her text doesn't reach him, so she leaves him a written note.
- Chekhov's Skill: Allison's first scene in the film is of her running on a treadmill, and telling John that she ran five miles. This comes back around when she's trying to get to Nathan after he's been kidnapped, and she runs most of the distance from where she was hitchhiking to where he was taken to.
- Deadline News: When the first meteor fragment is landing, a news helicopter has its eye on Tampa to watch the fragment pass over the city. It doesn't, and instead, the crew gets caught in the shockwave before the broadcast cuts out. Also happens to someone livestreaming the aftermath of another impact when a second meteor comes down right on top of them.
- Determinator: Nothing will stop John A. Garrity in getting his family to safety. His wife is no different. Nothing will stop her from finding her son after he's kidnapped.
- Didn't See That Coming: Clarke is only discovered as a cluster of objects about to impact Earth right as it's arriving in the orbit and one of its pieces (the size of a stadium, mind you) obliterates Florida. Apparently nobody knew this was going to happen, including all of NASA and the people literally watching it, until it landed. The call for evacuees from Homeland Security coming immediately after this disaster is televised provides a subtle hint that the government did indeed see this coming, and was preparing. The public is caught completely by surprise, however.
- Dirty Coward: Ralph. When he realizes Allison and Nathan both have wristbands on (meaning they were selected) he decides to kidnap Nathan and steal Allison's so he and his wife can pose as Nathan's parents, abandoning Allison by the side of the road. Fortunately, thanks to Nathan, he's swiftly caught by soldiers at the first checkpoint they come across. Even worse is the fact that he forces his innocent wife to go along with the plan, resulting in her also getting arrested.
- Disaster Movie: Natch, considering it's about the Earth being hit by falling meteor fragments.
- Disaster Porn: Surprisingly downplayed, considering the genre. Most of the movie is spent focusing on the Garrity family, and the disastrous events tend to be more background events, though the devastation is still there.
- Disposable Pilot: The pilots of the civilian plane that takes the Garrity family to Greenland die in a crash landing, although all of their passengers survive.
- The Elites Jump Ship: Referenced and downplayed. When the government selects people to be evacuated to shelters before a Colony Drop, Ralph complains that they're probably all rich people. Actually, the government is picking people based on their skills to rebuild society (and none of them have any idea the evacuation is going on until right before the cataclysm). Still, at least some of them (such as John, a building engineer with a nice house, and Colin's mother, a doctor) have jobs with upper-class incomes, which is usually the case for high-valued jobs such as doctors and engineers.
- Emergency Broadcast: John gets one telling him that he and his family must evacuate to Warner Robins AFB. It plays on his phone and on the TV simultaneously. Later in the film is a second and rather useless one, where they are warned about falling slag seconds before it hits.
- Good Is Not Nice: The US Government knows well ahead of time what is going to happen and stay quiet and even during the crisis there is little sign they are providing words of comfort or hope to the hundreds of millions who are going to die (while NASA gives a formal report to the public near the end there is no indication the president ever does.) However while certainly cold and brusque they (and it is implied other governments) are doing absolutely everything in their power to preserve humanity and they are doing what they have to do stop the evacuation of as many as possible being overwhelmed by mass panic.
- Just Before the End: The film takes place in the final 48 hours before an extinction level meteor hits Earth.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Judy Vento's husband Ralph kidnaps Nathan and steals Allison's wristband to their way onto a plane. Judy very reluctantly keeps up the façade, but when the gig is up, she doesn't bother trying to keep it up and tells the military to just get Nathan onto a plane to safety.
- Mama Bear: Allison does everything in her power to try and prevent Ralph Vento from kidnapping Nathan, though it tragically doesn't work. Ralph's wife Judy, appalled at her husband's actions, takes up the mantle of being protective of Nathan, though he obviously isn't receptive. Judy's last words before she vanishes from the plot are to tell the military that Nathan must get on one of the evacuation planes.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": Par for the course in a disaster film.
- John, Allison, and their guests when the first meteor lands and destroys all of central Florida.
- When it's confirmed that Clarke is not just a single meteor, but a cluster of them, with the largest causing an extinction-level event, everyone panics.
- Militaries Are Useless: Averted.
- The militaries of not just the United States, but of the world do everything in their power to try and preserve humanity. They can't do anything to stop a comet cluster from striking the planet, but they successfully ensure that many humans survive the calamity.
- A more incidental aversion of this is when Ralph and Judy (mostly enforced by the former) try to get past security and onto a plane by pretending to be his parents. The soldier immediately catches onto something being wrong when he sees Nathan crying, and quickly believes him over Ralph's protests.
- My God, What Have I Done?: John has this very realistic reaction after killing a bigoted man who was trying to kill him to steal his wristband.
- Monumental Damage: Many notable world landmarks are shown damaged or destroyed by the various meteor impacts.
- The Namesake: Halfway through it's explained that Greenland is home to US-owned cold-war era nuclear shelters that can survive the impact event.
- Nothing Is Scarier: The first impact from Clarke is done this way.
- Offscreen Karma: Although Ralph and Judy Vento are never seen again after the military arrests them for abducting Nathan, the script allegedly contains a deleted scene where they are both executed by the military for their crimes.
- One-Word Title: The title is just Greenland, where John and his family are relocating for shelter.
- Only the Worthy May Pass: The US evacuation is only for those both in good health and with knowledge/skills that will be useful in the post-apocalypse. Out of shape, disabled, unskilled? You stay behind and just die.
- Point of View: We only see the Garrity family's perspective of the disaster.
- Post-Apocalyptic Traffic Jam: Seen multiple times, especially around the military bases.
- Race Against the Clock: The film's plot, essentially. Get to a shelter within 48 hours or the comet will kill you.
- Relationship-Salvaging Disaster: John and Allison's marriage was on the rocks and made even worse due to his cheating on her. Fortunately, they reconciled shortly before leaving for Greenland.
- Restricted Rescue Operation: The US rescue operation is very restricted, hand picking only the citizens that are both in near-perfect health and have a skill useful for rebuilding the world. One soldier informs the group that over 99% of even military personnel are being left to die. Ironically in the final hours, those that managed to make it to the Greenland are let in regardless if they were picked or not as the military don't have time for protocol.
- Saving the World: Averted, surprisingly, for an apocalypse movie. Nobody even bothers to discuss how they can potentially stop the meteor, with everyone instead just trying to find shelter in any way possible.
- Scenery Gorn: Yup. That's the Sydney Opera House, the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, and Wrigley Field in the aftermath shots following the impact.
- Shoot the Dog: John has no choice but to refuse to take along Nathan's best friend, Ellie, despite her mother's angry protest, as Ellie would not be allowed to accompany the family to Greenland due to her not being part of the family.
- Shown Their Work: Although it may seem implausible that everyone would feel the impact foreshock long enough before the arrival of the shockwave to let John get outside and take a look, it's actually accurate. Seismic wave propagation through limestone is about 6,000 meters per secondnote while the shockwave would be traveling at the speed of sound, roughly 350 m/s.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Many characters with important roles in the movie are only onscreen briefly, including another passenger on John's plane who has barely thirty seconds of screen time. He tells John that his nephew got turned away for having a health condition, causing John to realize his family isn't being evacuated and leave the plane to look for them. If not for that other passenger, John would have unknowingly left without them or died during the rioting at the airbase.
- Stuff Blowing Up:
- When rocks are falling from space and burning up in the atmosphere, and they are large enough to reach the ground, this tends to happen.
- Also happens during the riot at the airbase when stray gunfire ignites a pool of spilled aviation fuel, causing a spectacular chain-reaction of explosions that destroy several transport planes parked on the tarmac.
- While Rome Burns: John comes across a group of twenty somethings partying on the roof of a building. As yet another fragment of Clarke hits Earth they actually raise their drinks in a toast, mocking the comet.
- Zerg Rush: The rioters who break through the airbase perimeter and storm the planes use their sheer numbers to counter the military's firepower.
