Greenland 2: Migration Review

Greenland 2: Migration arrives in theaters on Friday, January 9.
Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin are back as the extinction-surviving Garritys in Greenland 2: Migration, now joined by Roman Griffin Davis as their son, Nathan. In this above-average sequel to 2020's Greenland, our first family of of the apocalypse must find a new home after their quaint, claustrophobic years of living in a bunker get dangerously disrupted by moving tectonic plates.
There are about as many crazed, unbelievable moments here as one can expect from a global disaster flick, but Migration moves fast, and like the first movie, focuses on the three main characters, relying on our investment in their safety and well-being to pull us through the wreckage and suspend our discerning, doubting tendencies. The horrors and hazards in Migration are found in the ravaged post-apocalyptic world itself, from violent natural threats to the evils of desperate humans, and the story does a nice job of staggering, varying, and escalating these obstacles. It should be mentioned though that Nathan's diabetes, which was a major part of the first film, only gets lip service here, presumedly so that new complications can be explored.
Ultimately, in wasteland adventure like this, it doesn't matter if it's comet fragments or radiation storms or zombies (there are no zombies, to be clear). The message is simple: Outside is bad and shelter is good. The goal for John and Allison Garrity is to get their son to a possible paradise so that he can actually live and not just survive. Yes, the ginormous Clarke comet crater itself could contain a viable, thriving environment free of toxins and disasters, but it will mean getting all the way to Southern France.
Migration doesn't forge new ground or break any molds, but it is a mindful continuation that hits the right emotional notes and provides some solid jumps. Butler has played cops and soldiers, but he's even better as an "everyman," using his warm gravely voice and charisma to carry the weight of the (destroyed) world as he and his family squeak through cursed crucibles, sidestepping perils left and right. Butler knows his cinematic lane, and because of this, he's become one of the most stealthily successful B-movie bankabilities in the business. In fact, he and Jason Statham are probably the only two dudes getting theatrical releases for their mid-budget action movies right now; if they ever star in a film together, there might be a multiversal incursion.
With that said, Greenland is the latest of Butler's better-than-expected projects to get a sequel after his Has Fallen series, Den of Thieves, and 2023's Plane (though that's continuing as a Mike Colter vehicle). And Greenland worked in the first place both because of Butler's anchoring presence and the fact that the story focused on the Garrity family instead of just treating the story like a one-man show. Morena Baccarin is a big reason why the first movie resonated, with Allison sharing the spotlight as a full character during the global turmoil. Migration recognizes the importance of its three principal leads, and especially John and Ali's bond. It's a lean dystopian machine, swiftly taking our heroes through moments of brief chaos and briefer calm as they take a huge risk in betting on the crater containing some sort of natural utopia.
Migration isn't as ferocious as, say, a 28 Days Later, but it's also not cornball like most Roland Emmerich End Times movies. It resides in a safe, enjoyable middle that's both violent and bloodless. Director Ric Roman Waugh (who, yes, does have a Jason Statham movie coming out at the end of the month) keeps a confident hand on the wheel, providing only the necessary and delivering some cool, harrowing set pieces (like the gorge/ladder moment shown above). For those wondering if there was actually a story to tell after the first Greenland, the answer is yes, especially if you felt the first film was possibly leading up to a big character moment that never happened. Migration puts the Garritys through it again while also closing the Clarke comet hellscape book in a satisfying manner.








