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Greenland
Movie

Greenland

2020 • Action, Adventure, Thriller

Woke Score
1.4
out of 10

Plot

A family fights for survival as a planet-killing comet races to Earth. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and young son Nathan make a perilous journey to their only hope for sanctuary. Amid terrifying news accounts of cities around the world being leveled by the comet's fragments, the Garritys experience the best and worst in humanity while they battle the increasing panic and lawlessness surrounding them. As the countdown to global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven.

Overall Series Review

The film focuses on a family's desperate and perilous journey for survival during a cataclysmic comet strike. The central narrative is a traditional disaster flick centering on the estranged Garrity family—a husband, wife, and son—trying to reunite and reach a secret government bunker in Greenland. The movie is less about the spectacle of the disaster and more about the human element, showing both the best and worst in people under extreme pressure. It is a story of a flawed but ultimately protective husband and father, John Garrity, and his wife, Allison, whose main objective is the survival of their child and the reconciliation of their family. The plot's tension comes from the breakdown of society and bureaucratic hurdles, such as the government's merit-based and utilitarian selection process for survivors, which excludes the family’s diabetic son. It largely avoids political or cultural commentary, prioritizing themes of familial love, sacrifice, and the raw instinct for survival.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The plot focuses on a selection process for survival based on professional skills (like the father being a structural engineer), which is a meritocratic/utilitarian criterion rather than an identity-based one. The main conflict about who is 'worthy' of being saved is based on a utilitarian calculation of who can help rebuild society, not on race or intersectional hierarchy. The main characters are a white, middle-class family, and there is no vilification of 'whiteness' or forced diversity lecturing. The casting is colorblind for supporting roles without a political mandate.

Oikophobia2/10

The narrative centers entirely on the preservation of a family and, by extension, the continuation of humanity and civilization in a secured bunker. The family unit and the desire to protect one's home and child are portrayed as vital and protective forces against chaos. The main antagonist is a comet, not Western culture or ancestry. The movie shows both the breakdown of society into lawlessness and acts of unexpected kindness among strangers, which respects the complexity of human nature during a crisis.

Feminism1/10

The core story is about the male and female leads working together to save their son and repair their marriage. The male lead is flawed, having cheated on his wife, but he acts as the primary protector, exhibiting traditional masculine, protective virtues. The female lead is also a fierce protector and is essential in the journey to her father's ranch. The film celebrates motherhood and the nuclear family unit as the vital entity that must be saved, directly contrasting with anti-natalist messaging.

LGBTQ+1/10

The film does not contain any material concerning alternative sexualities, sexual identity as a primary character trait, or commentary on gender ideology. The focus is exclusively on the heterosexual family unit and their survival quest. The narrative maintains a normative structure where sexuality is private and not a subject for political commentary or lecturing.

Anti-Theism2/10

There is no overt hostility toward religion. The grandfather figure expresses a traditional faith-based perspective when facing the end, assuring his daughter he will be ready to die when the 'good Lord' is ready for him. This moment acknowledges faith as a source of strength, and religious or Christian characters are not depicted as villains or bigots. The moral stakes are objective, driven by the existential threat, which requires characters to seek objective truth and basic decency.