Greenland - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Greenland


Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras: :
Final Score:


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Movie
Post apocalyptic stories have started to come back into popularity over the years, but they are taking a less bleak approach than the early 2000s did. After The Road EVERY post apocalyptic film had to be as bleak and drained of life as humanely possible, trying to show the trials and struggles of living in what could only be described as survival hell. Much like the super hero shows had to be depressing and dark, our survival stories moved away from disaster thrillers, to full blown survival “horror” movies. Well, Greenland tries to bridge the gap between both extremes, giving us a post apocalyptic tale of terror and dread, but blended with some of the massive, large scale, action set pieces that drove film makers like Roland Emmerich to the top in the late 90s and early 2000s.

John Garrity (Gerard Butler, who manages to hid his accent reasonably well this go around) is a high end architect who is on the outs with his wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) after cheating on her recently. The two have decided to patch things up though, and try to work it out and move past the awkward rift that was created due to the infidelity. Their diabetic son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) is caught in the middle of all of this, as the parents try to mask their pain and continue on for their son’s sake. However, things come to startling change when John receives a mysterious “presidential alert” on his phone that tells him to go to a certain place by the next morning to go on a relocation project. Confused and bemused, John and Nathan head home from the grocery store to find out that the world is on the edge of collapse. The news is reporting a meteor heading towards Earth that is breaking into pieces and actually going to make it into the atmosphere. Suddenly the presidential alert makes sense. John’s position as a highly skilled architect put him into the “must have” category as the government ran a secret lottery to find out what small percentage of people could be saved, leaving the rest to die on the surface as Earth is pelted by massive chunks of space debris moving faster than a missile.

Rushing to the evacuation site turns out to be the last of the family’s troubles, as it turns out that Nathan was not properly vetted. His diabetes made him an “undesirable” for those in command and he’s turned away. However, the entire airport is turned into a war zone as people rush the base to try and scrabble on board out of sheer desperation, causing John to be separated from Nathan and Allison. Now that they’re no longer on the evacuation planes, John must try to reunite with his his family as quickly as he can and make the treacherous path up through a dissolving world to Greenland where the “lottery” winners are being transported to.

Greenland does a nice balance between emotionally draining survival story, and disaster movie. Unlike Roland Emmerich it’s never so over the top as to be almost parody, but there’s still enough tense action to keep the viewer from feeling like the movie is soul crushing in it’s depressive nature. Director Ric Roman Waugh doesn’t have a great track record being that his last film was the very underwhelming Angel Has Fallen actioneer (also starring Gerard Butler), but he really surprised me here. The movie is gut wrenching at time, filled with great action set pieces at times, but still manages to keep the audience glued to the screen without alienating fans who wanted a great survival movie, and those wanting some good old disaster schlock.

Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin really carry the brunt of the acting responsibilities in the film (although we do get a nice cameo from my childhood favorite actor Scott Glenn) and they both do admirably. Gerard is intense as he always is, and that works to his character advantage, as he’s a father trying to rescue his family. Baccarin is great as Allison, portraying her as a powerful, if not scared, mother who will do what it takes to keep her son from being left behind.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of disaster action, some violence, bloody images and brief strong language




Video:

Greenland’s 2.39:1 AVC framed Blu-ray looks very stable and precise throughout, even if it is a very dark movie which comes with it’s own set of limitations. Most of the digitally shot film takes place at night or in low light level military bunkers, which adds some digital camera artifacts to the table. Those usually are the typical noise that swarms at night, as well as some purple and yellow shading from the color timing that is employed (the biggest offender with purple shading is when John is in the back of the transport where he finds out that Greenland is the destination for the government planes). Black levels can look a bit smeared and overly soft at times, but these issues are not deal breakers by a large margin. The detail levels are generally very strong, with great facial nuances and plenty of textural backdrops to enjoy (such as the military air base where everyone gets separated. Daylight shots are absolutely razor sharp, with bright saturation levels and a sunny look that leaves no detail to the imagination. The typical banding in dark shots crops up now and again, but overall this is a very impressive looking disc for a movie that takes place in so much darkness.








Audio:

While the video score is just plain “good”, the 7.1 DTS-HD MA audio mix is nothing short of reference. As one would expect from a movie that borrows very heavily from the early 2000s disaster movies, we have a rocking mix that tears the walls down, blows up the foundations and gleefully pummels the listener in the face with heavy bass and an intense array of surround usage. I would have killed (proverbially) to see an Atmos or DTS:X mix for the movie, the 7.1 mix is nothing to sneeze at. The surrounds are in full gear with all the cacophony and chaos that ensues after the first 20 minutes, with cars blaring, people screaming, and explosions happening in the foreground and background. Bass is truly punishing, adding some massive weight to the intense score, but also pounding away at you with all of the above mentioned chaos. Despite the heavy duty bass and aggressive use of surrounds, the vocals and dialog are never compromised, as the listener is privy to a perfectly balanced track that allows us to hear everything spoken, but also get smashed back into our seats with some seriously aggressive bass and surrounds. Well done Universal, audio perfection






Extras:

• Deleted Scenes
• Humanity
• Audio Commentary With the Director Ric Roman Waugh and Producer Basil Iwank

Final Score: ​

The movie isn’t perfect, but Greenland managed to impress me when I was expecting something a lot weaker. It’s a solid thriller with great post apocalyptic undertones, and the low key plot of survival is riveting to watch. There are some issues with pacing in the last act, but overall the movie exceeded expectations and makes for a very good watch. The Universal Blu-ray is also rather satisfactory, giving us good video, GREAT audio, but a weak modicum of extras to fill out the package. Definitely worth checking out if you’re into thrillers or disaster movies.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn, Randal Gonzalez
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
Written by: Chris Sparling
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, English DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 120 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: February 9th 2021

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Looks like it might be a fairly intense movie.

 

[Michael Scott]

Looks like it might be a fairly intense movie.

it's a solidly tense thriller.

 

[JBrax]

I wasn’t really expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. This movie had me on the edge of my seat for much of it. One scene in particular had my wife muttering “don’t you dare!”

 

[Michael Scott]

I wasn’t really expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. This movie had me on the edge of my seat for much of it. One scene in particular had my wife muttering “don’t you dare!”

lol, I know exactly what scene you're talking about too

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will check it out.

 

[jdubs75]

Love when I see Michael giving a 5 for audio!!!!! This one is definitely on my list!

 

[SRW1000]

Another great review! With not much new content out there, this one popped up to the top of our Netflix queue, and we expected a cheese-fest, silly story with over-the-top acting, and that's not what this movie is at all.

I give them a lot of credit for introducing some solid, moral questions into the storyline, without getting preachy or telling the audience how to think. There are some real, practical dilemmas that don't overtake them movie, but give the audience something to think about as the plot unfolds. I hope it doesn't get overlooked, because it's definitely an entertaining title.

As to the soundtrack, it's fantastic! Even though it's only 7.1, it sounds better upmixed in DTS Neural: X than a lot of dedicated Atmos or DTS: X titles we've listened to lately. I can only imagine how good an actual DTS: X or Atmos mix would sound.

In response to a request on another forum, I put together a list of five demo-worthy scenes in the movie. While it's not start to end action, the action scenes are really well done.

Spoiler: Demo scenes

15:25 Aftershock - nice whoosh effect
38:17 Breach - good gunfire, general mayhem, and explosion
43:23 Store - Startling gunplay
1:31:32 Storm - nice impact effects, good use of surrounds
1:47:50 The Hit - Another aftershock and explosion

I'm sure there are others, but these are the five that stood out the most for me.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Another great review! With not much new content out there, this one popped up to the top of our Netflix queue, and we expected a cheese-fest, silly story with over-the-top acting, and that's not what this movie is at all.

I give them a lot of credit for introducing some solid, moral questions into the storyline, without getting preachy or telling the audience how to think. There are some real, practical dilemmas that don't overtake them movie, but give the audience something to think about as the plot unfolds. I hope it doesn't get overlooked, because it's definitely an entertaining title.

As to the soundtrack, it's fantastic! Even though it's only 7.1, it sounds better upmixed in DTS Neural: X than a lot of dedicated Atmos or DTS: X titles we've listened to lately. I can only imagine how good an actual DTS: X or Atmos mix would sound.

In response to a request on another forum, I put together a list of five demo-worthy scenes in the movie. While it's not start to end action, the action scenes are really well done.

Spoiler: Demo scenes

15:25 Aftershock - nice whoosh effect
38:17 Breach - good gunfire, general mayhem, and explosion
43:23 Store - Startling gunplay
1:31:32 Storm - nice impact effects, good use of surrounds
1:47:50 The Hit - Another aftershock and explosion

I'm sure there are others, but these are the five that stood out the most for me.

It was not showing up on Netflix for me last night... wonder why. Hmmmm...

 

[SRW1000]

It was not showing up on Netflix for me last night... wonder why. Hmmmm...

Are you looking at streaming or disc? I rented the BD from them.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Are you looking at streaming or disc? I rented the BD from them.

I didn't even know they still rented physical disc media... I am out of the loop I guess.

 

[SRW1000]

I didn't even know they still rented physical disc media... I am out of the loop I guess.

Yeah, they still handle some physical media, but the quality of service has really gone downhill. A lot of the new releases (as few as they are) are only available on DVD now, not even BD. And due to the general problems with the mail service and the closing of some of their distributions centers, it takes a good week to get a disc, sometimes even longer.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

So I did the Amazon Prime rental last night. I was like... hurry up and get to the end, during the whole movie. I almost grabbed for the remote a couple of times to fast forward. It was probably the worst acting I've seen from Girard Butler... not sure but it may have been due to some of the directing done poorly. How long do you keep the camera on someone staring into the sky before you show the sky... on more than one occasion... such a famous scene. How many times do you show someone pondering with their mouth open in either disbelief or disappointment. The ending was non climatic and a let down to me.

The audio was the best part, if I hadn't been so distracted by the boredom.

It was seriously predictive and cliché.

Needless to say, I'm sure you and tell it just didn't do enough for me and I'm glad I rented it instead of buying it.

 

[Michael Scott]

So I did the Amazon Prime rental last night. I was like... hurry up and get to the end, during the whole movie. I almost grabbed for the remote a couple of times to fast forward. It was probably the worst acting I've seen from Girard Butler... not sure but it may have been due to some of the directing done poorly. How long do you keep the camera on someone staring into the sky before you show the sky... on more than one occasion... such a famous scene. How many times do you show someone pondering with their mouth open in either disbelief or disappointment. The ending was non climatic and a let down to me.

The audio was the best part, if I hadn't been so distracted by the boredom.

It was seriously predictive and cliché.

Needless to say, I'm sure you and tell it just didn't do enough for me and I'm glad I rented it instead of buying it.

sorry you didn't like it Sonnie. No harm no foul, we all like different stuff

 

[Sonnie Parker]

sorry you didn't like it Sonnie. No harm no foul, we all like different stuff

Yeah... I think I am getting picky with my movies these days. It seems that it is getting harder for me to find movies that really get me excited.

 

[Michael Scott]

Yeah... I think I am getting picky with my movies these days. It seems that it is getting harder for me to find movies that really get me excited.

 

[JBrax]

So I did the Amazon Prime rental last night. I was like... hurry up and get to the end, during the whole movie. I almost grabbed for the remote a couple of times to fast forward. It was probably the worst acting I've seen from Girard Butler... not sure but it may have been due to some of the directing done poorly. How long do you keep the camera on someone staring into the sky before you show the sky... on more than one occasion... such a famous scene. How many times do you show someone pondering with their mouth open in either disbelief or disappointment. The ending was non climatic and a let down to me.

The audio was the best part, if I hadn't been so distracted by the boredom.

It was seriously predictive and cliché.

Needless to say, I'm sure you and tell it just didn't do enough for me and I'm glad I rented it instead of buying it.

Different strokes I guess? I really enjoyed it and thought it was one of his better movies.

 

[jdubs75]

Watched this over the weekend. Enjoyed the story, loved the audio. This one definitely put my sub to work. Some amazing chest pounding & slab shaking bass. Wow!!!