Movie Review #1 - Greenland (2020)

 The genre of disaster movies usually breaks down into films that focus on spectacle and titles that rely mainly on drama. Now that we ourselves have ended up in worldwide disaster situation, it appears not only that film makers can come pretty close to the reality, but also that wathcing a disaster movie takes on an extra dimension. The Amazon production Greenland tries to unite both disciplines and does so with a decent end result. 

Realism 

The basic idea that a meteorite crashes into the earth is not that crazy. In the past, such an impact wiped out the dinosaurs, and most scientists claim it is only a matter of time before such a disaster strikes Earth again. From that moment on, realism largely ceases. Instead of all the fragments almost perishing in the atmosphere, a worldwide disaster takes place. The entire world has become completely unlivable within a few days, without a single scientist having seen that coming. It is mainly for this reason that the film never really manages to rise above the simple disaster movie plot. 

Flaws 

The special effects and action scenes are scarce, which can be explained by the limited budget of thirty-five million dollars. The limited budget does not help to make this movie stand out from its predecessors, though it remains entertaining to watch for most of the time. However, as a viewer you always hope for more and something more innovative. This is omitted throughout the whole movie, despite its attempt to create deeper emotional connections between the characters. 

Conclusion and Rating

With fairly simple means, the production team still manages to portray the cosmic natural disaster with some credibility. This in combination with my weakness for disaster movies makes this a pretty entertaining watch, but it never becomes anything special. As viewer, you just see enough shots of smashing meteors and global hotbeds that cause the impacts. It looks okay, but it is also a bit cheap. 

Rating: 6.8