Five years after a comet named Clarke shattered the world, Greenland 2: Migration thrusts audiences back into a landscape where survival is a daily battle and hope is a rare commodity. Gerard Butler reprises his role as John Garrity, a father determined to lead his family through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, in a sequel that’s as much about the bonds of family as it is about the spectacle of disaster. The film picks up where its predecessor left off, with John, his wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and their son Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis) eking out a life in a bunker beneath the frozen terrain of Greenland. But as their shelter crumbles under the weight of earthquakes and tidal waves, the Garritys are forced to embark on a perilous journey across a Europe transformed by catastrophe.
According to CBR, the world outside the bunker is profoundly changed. Most of humanity has perished, and the few who remain cling to survival in isolated pockets, from the ruins of Liverpool to the embattled countryside of France. The air quality is so poor it evokes comparisons to Chernobyl, and the sky is perpetually menaced by comet debris still orbiting the planet. In this grim new order, law and order have all but disappeared. British soldiers patrol the streets with lethal authority, tasked with protecting what’s left of the government, while survivors in cities like Liverpool scrape by on whatever they can salvage. The Garrity family’s odyssey is motivated by the hope of reaching a massive crater site in France, theorized by their companion Dr. Amina to be a possible safe zone—a new beginning amid the ruins.
The journey is anything but simple. The family faces not only the environmental hazards of radioactive lightning storms and toxic air, but also the ever-present threat of violence from desperate survivors and organized raiders. Along the way, they encounter remnants of the British government, a mail carrier turned fortress-keeper in France, and a fractured society where the rule of law is a distant memory. The trek across the English Channel, for instance, becomes an ordeal of mountain climbing, high winds, and the constant threat of death from above or below. As CBR notes, the violence is portrayed with a blunt realism that doesn’t overshadow the moments of hard-won happiness the survivors manage to carve out.
Yet, for all its bleakness, the film never loses sight of its central theme: the enduring strength of hope and family. The Garritys’ unity is tested at every turn, but it’s their willingness to help others—sometimes at great personal risk—that ultimately sustains them. Early in the film, Allison argues that it’s their responsibility to aid refugees, a kindness that’s later repaid when Camille, a French teenager they assist, becomes vital to their survival. This sense of mutual aid stands in stark contrast to the chaos and brutality surrounding them.
But the cost of survival is steep. John, weakened by repeated exposure to the surface, is quietly battling a terminal illness. Midway through the journey, he confides to Allison that doctors have given him only months to live, a revelation that casts his relentless drive in a new, somber light. As the family nears the fabled safe zone, John is fatally wounded while defending them from raiders. He survives just long enough to see his family reach safety, dying peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. It’s a bittersweet end that, as CBR describes, is “not treated as some grandiose or heroic moment, but as a bittersweet farewell amid the survival of his family.” The film’s closing moments reinforce its message: survival is not about a single act of heroism, but about the persistent hope that tomorrow might be better.
The film’s narrative, however, has not escaped criticism. Vulture describes Migration as “stupid-bland,” lamenting its reliance on luck rather than clever survival tactics. The review notes that “the spectacles are few and far between,” and that the script’s logic sometimes strains credulity—such as when the family, adrift at sea in a gasless boat, conveniently finds oars only after reaching their destination. The lack of meaningful reflection on humanity’s loss, coupled with a gloomy visual palette, leaves some critics cold. Ruth Maramis at FlixChatter echoes this sentiment, observing that the film is “packed with cliched dialogue, dull action, familiar apocalyptic scenarios, and visuals so drab that I felt like I needed an oxygen mask just to get through the movie.”
Other reviewers, like Tessa Smith at Mama’s Geeky, acknowledge that while the sequel expands the lore and keeps audiences invested in the Garrity family, it “lacks the tight, suffocating narrative structure of its predecessor.” Josh Parham at Next Best Picture is more blunt, calling the plot “flimsy” and the characters “uninteresting,” with dramatic moments that fail to ignite. Still, there’s a grudging respect for the film’s attempts to grapple with the aftermath of disaster, even if the execution doesn’t always hit the mark.
On the other hand, Paste Magazine finds something to admire in Ric Roman Waugh’s willingness to confront the grim realities of post-apocalyptic survival. The review points out that disaster movies rarely linger in the aftermath, preferring the spectacle of destruction to the messy business of rebuilding. In Migration, the horrors of a world-changing tragedy are impossible to ignore, and the film occasionally evokes more thoughtful works like Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men. The moments between set pieces, such as a stop in London to visit an old friend or a midnight raid gone wrong, add a layer of empathy and realism often missing from the genre.
Butler’s performance, in particular, is singled out for praise. The film’s emotional core is found in his portrayal of a man worn down by loss but sustained by the hope that his family might have a future. As Paste Magazine observes, “It’s through his tired eyes that Greenland: Migration finds an empathetic anchor, some light to guide us through the dark surrounding humanity at the end of this world.”
As the credits roll, the film leaves the door open for future stories. The safe zone in France is left deliberately ambiguous, hinting at the possibility of new civilizations rising from the ashes. With John’s story concluded, any sequel would likely focus on Allison and the challenges of rebuilding in a world still fraught with danger. Whether or not audiences will return for another chapter remains to be seen, but Greenland 2: Migration delivers a sobering meditation on hope, loss, and the ties that bind us—even when the world is ending.
In the end, the film’s greatest strength may lie in its willingness to embrace both the despair and the resilience of its characters, offering a glimmer of hope amid the darkness. For fans of disaster epics and post-apocalyptic drama alike, it’s a journey worth taking—if only to see what it takes to survive when all seems lost.
