Greenland 2: Migration review — spectacle outshines character depth

Movieweb's review says Ric Roman Waugh’s Greenland 2: Migration leans heavily into upgraded visuals and large-scale set pieces while losing much of the character depth that made the 2020 film effective. The sequel follows John, Allison and their 15-year-old son Nathan after five years living in an underground bunker dubbed "Hand-Me-Down Nation"; an earthquake levels the bunker and the family heads toward England and then the Clarke meteor impact site in southern France, a rumored haven despite approximately 2,000 miles separating Greenland from southern France.

The review praises Waugh and DP Martin Ahlgren’s use of Icelandic locations and frequent CGI ruins — including a submerged Liverpool and irradiated dust storms — but calls the Sparling and Mitchell LaFortune script plodding, logically wobbly and short on the ideas it hints at. It also notes smaller details, such as the Garritys packing abundant insulin for diabetic Nathan despite the bunker’s refusal to admit people with medical conditions, and highlights Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin’s effective relationship scenes amid the action, which culminates in a make‑shift bridge set piece the review finds borderline absurd.

Greenland 2, from Lionsgate, opens in theaters Jan. 9, 2026, with a runtime of 98 minutes; director Ric Roman Waugh is credited alongside writers Chris Sparling and Mitchell LaFortune and producers Basil Iwanyk, Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, John Zois, Sebastien Raybaud and Brendon Boyea.

Key Topics

Culture, Ric Roman Waugh, Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Lionsgate, Iceland