It’s Gerard January. Three of the past four years have had a Gerard Butler action movie from Lionsgate kick off the year. I enjoyed 2023’s “Plane”, and last year’s “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” had a solid second half. They both did well enough for LG to make Butler’s next flick, “Greenland 2: Migration”, the studio’s first major release of 2026. This is the follow-up to an STX release that went straight to Digital in 2020 because of the COVID theater shutdown.
“Greenland” was pretty good. Surprisingly sophisticated and compelling enough, matching the impact of some of Butler’s other recent films, like “Hunter Killer”, “Angel Has Fallen”, and parts of “Kandahar”. And I’ve liked the work of director Ric Roman Waugh, including the last two movies I just mentioned, the first “Greenland” and the overlooked drama “National Champions”. Waugh also has a new Jason Staham action thriller coming to theaters later this month called “Shelter”.
So I was looking forward to “Greenland 2: Migration”. It’s been five years since the original installment — and we also jump ahead five years in the story. John (played by Butler), his wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) and their now 15-year-old son Nathan (“Jojo Rabbit”‘s Roman Griffin Davis) are still in the bunker. But John’s got a cough, Allison’s unsure of the future of humankind, and Nathan’s anxious to explore the outside world, even though it’s quite dangerous. Suddenly the bunker collapses and this family escapes Greenland in a boat with about a dozen others, hopefully headed for England. But they’ll face many, many, life-threatening challenges along their second chaotic quest for survival.
Unlike the first film, “Greenland 2: Migration” has WAY too many story conveniences and sequences that are corny and far-fetched instead of serious and largely plausible. There are a few gritty, intense moments in the first 20 minutes. But by an hour in, the minor characters and various destinations on the journey pile up, the ridiculousness levels increase (a ladder bridge scene is the weakest) and you can pretty much figure out what’s gonna happen at every turn.
The emotional impact is minimal. The visuals offer mixed results. And the acting is pretty standard. “Greenland 2: Migration” isn’t the most phoned-in action sequel ever made, but there’s a definite lack of effective and special qualities.
LCJ GRADE: C-
Running Time: 98 min.