Greenland - le dernier refuge

In the current context in which most American cinemas are closed, American Hollywood productions pushed back or even deprived of theatrical releases (Mulan will be released in the United States on Disney + in VOD and will have a limited theatrical release), it's good to find a film that shows us that a cinema remains the best way to discover a movie, if only to benefit from a giant screen but above all from a perfect sound to totally immerse the spectators in a great show. While most of the American or Asian films on offer in cinemas in France are already available in VOD or video in United States, it is good to finally find the intense pleasure of discovering a new film and especially an exceptional case long before its release in the United States* (September 25).

Greenland is sold in France as a summer blockbuster but is not one. Indeed, the spectators won't again have the right to a scenario that is hardly elaborated, drowned by spectacular special effects, but which doesn't hide the numerous weaknesses of these big productions. Some will expect to discover a film in the lineage of Amageddon (1998), Deep Impact (1998), 2012 (2009) but Greenland chooses an original orientation and above all succeeds with a lower budget in maximizing the presence of special effects that serve to reinforce the atmosphere of the film.

In the current context of a global pandemic, Greenland falls perfectly because it reminds us of the importance of fair and important values such as defending one's family, forgiving the mistakes of one's partner or loved ones and above all knowing how to surround oneself perfectly to succeed in life. For the occasion, director Ric Roman Waugh finds for the second time the actor Gerard Butler after The Fall of the President (2019) and the perfectly calibrated casting gives an important role to the actress Morena Baccarin and for a few scenes the presence of actor Scott Glenn brings to Greenland - The Last Refuge an undeniable added value.

Based on the premise that a comet from another solar system is about to crash into the earth, bringing a second total extinction, screenwriter Chris Sparling allows us to immerse ourselves in a road movie that tells the story of the survival of John Garrity, his ex-wife Allison and their diabetic son Nathan, thanks to its many twists and turns. Far from wanting to wreak repeated massive destruction, Greenland is rather an intense psychological thriller in which a father has to go through hell to keep his wife and son safe. Ric Roman Waugh's inspired direction favors true emotion over spectacular special effects scenes that follow one another without interruption. It is therefore not by chance, if certain phases of massive destruction are shown via television sets and above all unfortunately reminds us of the explosion of the port of Beirut shown this Tuesday 4th August on all the channels. This approach aiming at realism rather than an outrageous video game aspect fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the film.

Impossible when discovering this film not to remember some science fiction films in which we are witnessing the end of our world. During a scene taking place on an army airport, we think back to The Army of the Dead (Dawn of the Dead) (2004) by Zack Snyder. In the same way of many scenes of the film, we also think back to the atmosphere of John Carpenter's best films (New York 1997, Los Angeles 2013). Knowing perfectly well how to take advantage of a budget less comfortable than big Hollywood productions and finding the best angles to describe this atmosphere of the end of the world, Chris Sparling's scenario allows to give the characters a real thickness and not to make them simple pawns. The tense relationship at the beginning of the film between the characters of Alison and John Garrity brings an important emotional force to the film. We constantly feel the desire of this father to obtain forgiveness from his ex-wife and especially their common desire to protect their only child, who is diabetic and fragile.

Gerard Butler shows once again that he is not just a simple action film actor and is equally at ease in dramatic scenes. His on-screen duet with Morena Baccarin is in perfect osmosis and reinforces our support for him. While many disaster films seem to put the emotional side after that of spectacular action, Greenland - The Last Refuge shows real intelligence to avoid unnecessary repetition and win over viewers to its cause.

Greenland manages to surprise and move us out of this overly well-oiled mechanism of American big-budget films. In these difficult times, this film makes us forget the difficulties of our daily life and above all makes us spend an excellent moment to the point of not seeing the almost two hours of this film.

Greenland
Directed by Ric Roman Waugh
Produced by Gerard Butler, Basil Iwanyk, Sébastien Raybaud, Alan Siegel
Written by Chris Sparling
Starring Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Scott Glenn, Andrew Bachelor, David Denman
Music by David Buckley
Cinematography: Dana Gonzales
Production companies: Thunder Road Films, G-BASE, Anton
Distributed by STX Entertainment (United States), Metropolitan FilmExport (France)
Release date: August 5, 2020 (France), December 18, 2020 (United States)

Seen on August 5, 2020 at Gaumont Disney Village (France), Room 01, seat L (french version)

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