[imagesource: STX Films]

Personally, I’ve been avoiding disaster films since the start of the pandemic, but for many out there they’ve provided some relief from the uncertainty of it all.

After all, the standard plot of a movie in the genre involves some sort of crisis, a hero in the middle of it all, a solution to the problem that comes about in a bizarrely short timeframe, and something that resembles a ‘happily ever after’, even if it’s tinged with a bit of darkness.

Somehow these films always seem to be a metaphor for the importance of family and the rekindling of relationships.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the end of the world came about simply to reunite the protagonist and his lost love interest.

Gerard Butler’s new film, Greenland, doesn’t really depart from that narrative as far as we know.

We’re not sure how it ends, and wouldn’t tell you if we did, because we’re nice like that.

Fortress of Solitude, however, gave it a four out of five review, saying that it deals with the tropes of the genre in a new and phenomenal way.

This isn’t merely about surviving the end times or another earth-shattering extinction-level event, it’s also about the struggles and trials of a bad marriage.

See, when you step back and you look at it, Greenland is actually a great metaphor for an ugly divorce and Ric Roman Waugh does well to draw strong parallels between the two.

Butler plays John Garrity, an architect who returns home for his diabetic seven-year-old son’s birthday, amidst some awkwardness with his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin).

Towards the end of the party, John receives a message from the US government to be on high alert because a comet is heading for Earth, launching the action.

See what I mean about the tropes?

The film also has a lot of heart and is tremendous fun on the big screen. The action sequences come in waves, with every suspenseful spectacle bigger and scarier than the preceding. Those hoping to get their money’s worth in world destruction won’t be disappointed.

Check out the trailer for a taste of the action:

If you need more incentive to grab the popcorn and settle in for the ride, Rotten Tomatoes has Greenland at 100% on the Tomatometer ranking system, although it’s still early days.

[source:fortressofsolitude]