Not Impressed and Underwhelming: The Trailer Was a Letdown

I was completely caught off guard when I found out that a sequel to the 2020 film "The Land of Green Plums" had been released.

I'd been waiting for a continuation, so I was more than happy to set aside some time to watch the new film.

Disaster movies are one of my favorite genres (although "The Migration from Greenland" isn't one of them). When I first saw the trailer for the sequel, I was blown away! The action, the risk, the danger! Lightning, storms, even a tsunami! Whoa!

Whoa!As for what I thought of the film itself, you can read all about it in my review below.

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PLOT

If you don't remember or haven't seen the first film, let me give you a quick recap: a 15-kilometer meteorite named "Clarke" crashed into Earth.

It's a miracle that the few remaining bunkers were able to select experts from various fields and their families to stay safe. They were supposed to hunker down for at least 2 years, but even after 5 years, the outside world was still uninhabitable... The echoes of the catastrophe that hit the Earth five years ago are still looming over humanity. It's no longer safe to stay in Greenland: the few survivors who managed to make it are now threatened by a constant barrage of asteroid debris. Humanity - or what's left of it - has to make the most critical and perilous migration in history. People will have to find a new safe haven

The world has become almost like a black-and-white movie Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Thriller Runtime: 1h 38min

Age rating: 16+

To be honest, after watching the movie, I was left speechless... What just happened? And that's it?

I didn't even know what to say. The feelings were completely flatline!

However, the title of this review somehow came to me naturally, so I'll be going with it.

AMERICAN UNREALISM

There was less of this American unreality in the first movie, but here it's on every corner... come on!

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I was on the edge of my seat as the hero barely managed to escape danger at the last second, and the other characters were just as lucky, grabbing their stuff and finding masks just in time. It was like they were on the Titanic, dodging all the other survivors. I mean, you get the idea... it was a close call every time.What struck me was how often the characters narrowly avoided disaster. Meanwhile, the people around them seemed to be having a terrible day, and the Garrett family was just having a laugh about it.

It was like the universe was playing a cruel joke on them. One minute a meteor would whizz past their ear, and the next, a bullet would hit someone nearby, or a group of good Samaritans would stumble into the scene instead of the bad guys.

Essentially, these coincidences looked really unrealistic to me.

Warning

Some scenes felt forced, like when the hero needed to get hurt. It was like the writers just slapped together a few plot points and hoped for the best.

I'd also like to mention the bus heist, which was just plain ridiculous. What was the point of it all? They didn't even grab anything, and the getaway was basically a stroll to the finish line. It just didn't make sense.

Warning

One thing that had me questioning the plot was the health of the main characters' son, Nathan, at the end of the first movie. It was a bit of a red flag for me.

I've got a personal connection to this story - my little boy has diabetes and relies on insulin to stay alive. Imagine if the bunker's supplies had enough insulin to last not just two years, but five years of underground living. When the family left the bunker, my son would have taken his insulin supplies with him. But even if everything worked out and they found a new home, where would they get more insulin?

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THE END OF HUMANITY?

In the first movie, the disaster looked like it was the end - no more movies, no more humanity. It was like the dinosaurs all over again, with only a few lucky survivors left to start anew in the bunkers. Of course, there are multiple bunkers around the world, but that's not really explored in the story.

I was prepared for the Garrett family to have to start over and repopulate the planet, especially since the second movie showed the decline of humanity happening even faster. I don't know how many people were left in the Greenland bunker after the earthquake and the battle for the Titanic, but it was clear that the human population had been severely depleted.

So when the characters in Europe saw people, I was shocked! I can only imagine how they felt.

People!It turns out that even near the main impact site, things aren't as devastated as you'd think. There are still people living or surviving...

I'm still trying to figure out how Greenland was spared if people in America, where Clark barely made it, could've also survived. In basements, caves, and other shelters? Maybe even Allison's dad made it through?

Of course, the air on the entire planet is ruined, and all those radioactive storms, eruptions, and earthquakes would make it impossible to live peacefully.

But how did people survive? Even in Europe? Even without caves and bunkers?

These terrifying radioactive storms are supposed to wipe everything out on the spot. Okay, if you're hiding, you might survive. But seriously, do you think there's no radiation left after the storm? Pff...

I'm also puzzled by people who continue living in regular houses, somehow managing to install air purifiers (geniuses, I wouldn't know how to clean the air in my own home). And these people raise more questions. You need to clean the air, water, and food...

Let's just say I was skeptical about all this.

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BRING IT ON!

Since the sequel isn't a disaster movie, I wasn't expecting massive earthquakes, eruptions, or tsunamis. But the trailer did get me hyped... for nothing.

Is that it?As I mentioned in the title, the trailer was way more intense than the actual movie. It's like they took all the adrenaline-fueled moments and put them in the trailer, leaving the rest of the movie a dull gray mess.

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WAR

I've gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with how the military was portrayed in the first movie. It seemed like they were only there to save the select few, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves. Even themselves, it seemed.

But given that the military did make it out alive, I'm guessing they didn't screw up too badly in the previous film, and they had some scenes left over to keep things in order.

However, in the sequel, the military is shown in a different light.

You can bet your bottom dollar there'll be a robot African American soldier

And a nervous type who's always on edge, keeping everyone on their toesThey're back to being robots again (which is super frustrating when you're trying to get in touch with customer support), responding with the same canned phrase and having no human feelings whatsoever...😡Remember that old saying, 'The Kingdom of the Two-Faced Mirror'?

Klyuch!

Klyuch!

But then, out of the blue, the military (no Garryth in sight) suddenly develops a conscience and risks their lives for a small group of people.

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SCALE

I'm not a fan of the destroyed city views - they're a total mess!

Is this like a flooded and ruined city?It immediately reminded me of the movie 'The Day After Tomorrow', where the views and cinematography are just breathtaking. My heart was racing with fear and awe at the power of nature.

The wave in 'The Day After Tomorrow' and in 'Greenland 2' The wave in 'The Day After Tomorrow' and in 'Greenland 2' The waves and storms in 'Greenland 2' and 'The Day After Tomorrow' - it's like the end of the world!Ah, but here we have dirty-gray-brown half-destroyed houses with some stains. The ground is just as dull. To the right of the frame, you can see a black smudge on the partially destroyed house floor. And here's the poor soil.The thing that really stands out, though, is the cinematography. It looks like a novice amateur shot this - no power, no sense of flight, NO SCALE! It's like a tourist came and shot from the one angle they could manage to get. Is that even a bird's-eye view? And...? It's epic, but not even remotely scaled.I have no idea where the tens of millions of dollars that made up the film's budget went - it's baffling!Producers significantly expanded the scope of the film: its budget was $90 million, nearly three times that of the original Greenland.

I've got to say, the crater scenes are pretty cringeworthy. It feels like the characters have inhaled some toxic air and radiation, and then they're in this video game building a new world... it's just too much. I mean, the trees have already grown 30 years old in just 5 years – it's just ridiculous.

What is this, Homescapes?! xa0

CGI

I can sum up the whole movie as an ECG reading – it's just a mess.

The characters are constantly traveling, and their adventures are just the same old thing: danger, explosion, pause, danger, explosion, pause... and so on.

And the pauses are just the worst – they're so cheesy and reminiscent of old video games. The Grittis couple is always holding hands, even when there are people around them who have lost their loved ones. To me, it looks really awkward – they should be holding hands under the table or something.

Oh, yeah, we feel your pain... how nice that we're together...

SHOTS AND SPECIAL EFFECTS

I've got to say, the only real plus compared to the first movie is that there are fewer nighttime shoots in the second one.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but the gunfire is pretty clear.

Or are those comets?The tone is definitely dark and moody, but there aren't any scenes that are just pitch black for 20 minutes. A couple of episodes fit in pretty well, but the rest was shot in more or less daylight.

Or maybe it's just red.I didn't notice much in the way of special effects. I'm no expert, but those flying meteorite chunks...

or that 'scary' wind in the ravine...

looked completely normal. There's one scene where the characters are struggling to survive and resist the storm, and it's pretty obvious that it was shot in a room.

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IN THE ACTING

I've got to say, the second movie has even fewer characters than the first one. The only ones that stick around are the key trio - the Garitty family - and the rest are just background noise. You can tell straight away that they're not going to be around for long, so they don't really add much to the story.

John Garitty (Gerard Butler) looks like he's aged a lot since the first movie, but he's definitely not lost any weight - if anything, he might have even put on a bit. He's definitely not as spry as his wife.

A smileI've got to say, I really enjoyed Gerard Butler's performance. His downtrodden, dirty, thoughtful, even anguished face really fits the mood of the movie.

He's really trying to be a good husband, father, protector, and all the rest.

What's great about John is that he's just a regular guy - no superhero or special forces operative. He's fighting for his family's life, just like any normal guy would. And since John's always on a roll, he doesn't have to stress too much.xa0

John's wife, Allison Garrett (Morena Baccarin) - she looks way worse off than John. Those dark circles under her eyes and sunken cheeks make it look like she's struggling way more than he is.

Allison's at her breaking point Maybe her worry for their teenage son, who's mostly being raised by her, is taking a toll on her health and appearance. I get where she's coming from...In the first movie, I thought Allison was a stronger woman. Here, she seems broken, and while she's still fighting, she's got nothing left in the tank.

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John and Allison's son, Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis) - I just didn't click with this actor.

Nathan I took a peek at the actor's bio - could this be the same guy?! Roman's face looks ridiculously youthful. No, the actor's young, so that's why he's got such a sweet face... At the time of filming, Roman was 17, but he was playing a 12-year-old kid (Nathan was 7 in the first movie, so five years later, he's 12 or 13).

The actor's facial expressions are just cringeworthy! He looks like he's got a serious head cold or something... like a goofball. He's playing this naive kid-prodigy, and he's got this weird, awkward smile... Ugh, it was actually kind of painful to watch the scenes with him in. Maybe it's because he doesn't look like a 12-year-old kid at all.

THE VERDICT

I was expecting a lot more! What I saw was... unexpected, I guess.

➕Overall, the movie's not too long, so I don't regret the time I spent on it. A 1.5-hour, laid-back sci-fi action flick is something you can easily get through.

✖But my expectations were way off. Maybe it's because the trailer was way more interesting😁 Maybe the ending was a letdown due to its cheesy computer graphics. And the constant good luck the heroes get towards the end is just annoying. I mean, the last hour or so, it's pretty obvious how it's all gonna end.

I wasn't intimidated by the 'scary' dangers on screen, and it was clear that the staircase was just a prop waiting to come crashing down when the last Garret kid walked away from it. The rest of the characters were just going through the motions, like they were in a different movie altogether.

Unfortunately, I wasn't as invested in the relationships between the main characters this time around. There were some emotional moments, but they felt shallow and lacking in depth. Even the good scenes felt like they were just rehashed from the first movie – the opening and closing scenes were basically just copied and pasted.

I'd give this movie a 3 out of 5 stars. I don't think I'll be rewatching it anytime soon.

On the other hand, I'd definitely consider rewatching The First Howl again.

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Check out my other action movie reviews here.