In ‘Greenland 2: Migration,’ the end of the world doesn’t seem so awful

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Gerard Butler has become a reliable way to kick off the movie year with action-packed films. You can almost count on him starring in a big, explosive movie every January, whether it’s a lighthearted action comedy, like last year’s “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” or a more serious disaster film, such as this year’s “Greenland 2: Migration.” He’s again working with director Ric Roman Waugh, who also directed “Angel Has Fallen” and the first “Greenland” movie. Similar to “Den of Thieves 2,” the story takes Butler’s character to the south of France, though this time the situation is drastically different.

The 2020 film “Greenland” was a surprisingly gripping disaster movie where Gerard Butler played John Garrity, a man who barely saved his family from a planet-killing comet. Five years later, in “Greenland 2: Migration,” the Garrity family is living in a bunker in Greenland, trying to survive radioactive storms alongside other survivors. They face a difficult decision: stay in the relatively safe bunker, which is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, or risk traveling to the impact crater of the comet. A scientist, Dr. Casey Amina, believes that new life might be growing there, protected from the poisoned atmosphere.

After their underground shelter is destroyed by earthquakes, the Garrity family – John, his wife Allison, and their son Nathan – flee across the Atlantic with a few other survivors. They arrive in a flooded Liverpool and find a society fragmented by the environmental disaster. The family then travels from London to Dover and into France, desperately seeking the location where Clarke intends to land.

The story takes the characters to a variety of places, from cozy and familiar (like a protected nursing home in London) to bizarre and unexpected (including walking across the English Channel on a ladder) and even strangely reminiscent of the past (with modern trench warfare in France). Just as he did in “Greenland,” director Waugh uses real locations in the U.K. and Iceland to create beautiful scenery and a believable world, though things do get fantastical. What’s different this time is that while Gerard Butler is present, he’s surprisingly understated, and the focus is more on Emilie Baccarin, Davis, and the various characters they encounter along the way.

Movies

We asked the movie team which upcoming 2026 films they were most excited about. They expressed enthusiasm for new projects from established directors like Nolan, Spielberg, and Gerwig, as well as a new Wile E. Coyote movie.

Both “Greenland 2: Migration” and Danny Boyle’s 2025 sequel, “28 Years Later,” share a similar premise: fathers and teenage sons traveling to the U.K. from isolated locations after a catastrophic event. However, Boyle (along with writer Alex Garland) takes a much more creative and unconventional approach, while the creators of “Greenland 2” (Waugh, Mitchell LaFortune, and Chris Sparling) stick to a more familiar and predictable storyline.

The story shows us glimpses of crazed people wandering the streets, along with dangerous bandits and rebels, making the outside world even more perilous than the poisoned air. However, the Garrity family mostly meets people they can rely on. I kept waiting for a surprising turn of events, a clever twist, or something unexpected from Clarke, maybe even a bizarre new creature. But it never came – everything unfolds exactly as you’d predict, especially considering the first movie.

This aligns with the film’s central message. John, played by Butler, wants his son to create a kinder, more compassionate world, and the film shows that vision being realized – even amidst conflict over limited resources, most people remain fundamentally good.

So, who actually benefits from a fresh start? Waugh, LaFortune, and Sparling suggest it’s those brave enough to pursue that new beginning, those who face the challenges of getting there instead of staying stuck in a fragile comfort zone. “Greenland 2: Migration” presents a hopeful, even stubbornly optimistic, vision of life after a catastrophe. Viewers can see it as a comforting escape or a bit of naive fantasy – it’s up to them how they interpret it.

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2026-01-09 20:31