John Garrity, a structural engineer trying to rebuild his marriage, faces the ultimate nightmare when a planet-killing comet named Clarke hurtles toward Earth. Selected for emergency sheltering, John embarks on a perilous journey with his estranged wife Allison and their diabetic son Nathan to reach the only safe haven left: a series of bunkers in Greenland. As society collapses around them, they must navigate panic, lawlessness, and separation to survive the global extinction event.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
December 18, 2020 |
Running time |
119 minutes |
Genre |
Action Thriller Disaster |
Budget |
$35,000,000 |
Box Office |
$52,300,000 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Ric Roman Waugh |
Produced by |
Gerard Butler Basil Iwanyk Sébastien Raybaud |
Written by |
Chris Sparling |
Music by |
David Buckley |
Cinematography |
Dana Gonzales |
Edited by |
Gabriel Fleming |
Production Co. |
Thunder Road Anton G-BASE |
Distributed by |
STXfilms |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #01 in Greenland Collection
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The Plot
The Presidential Alert
John Garrity, a structural engineer living in Atlanta, Georgia, is attempting to rebuild his relationship with his estranged wife, Allison, and their young, diabetic son, Nathan. The backdrop of their domestic tension is the arrival of an interstellar comet nicknamed "Clarke," which has recently been discovered and is passing near Earth. The family gathers with neighbors to watch the celestial event on television, expecting a spectacle, but the atmosphere quickly shifts.
While John is at a local grocery store to pick up supplies, his phone emits a jarring alarm. He receives an automated message from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informing him that he and his family have been selected for emergency sheltering. Confusion turns to horror when John returns home just as live television coverage shows a comet fragment entering the atmosphere. Although experts predicted it would land harmlessly in the ocean near Bermuda, the fragment strikes Tampa, Florida. The impact vaporizes the city and devastates most of the state, sending a shockwave felt hundreds of miles away. John immediately receives a follow-up call with strict instructions to head to Robins Air Force Base for an evacuation flight. It becomes rapidly clear that Clarke is on a direct collision course with Earth; the planet is about to be bombarded by hundreds of fragments over the next two days, culminating in a "planet-killer" fragment large enough to cause an extinction-level event.
Panic at Robins Air Force Base
The Garritys pack their belongings and flee, forced to leave their desperate neighbors behind as the selection process is strict and non-transferable. The journey to Robins Air Force Base is fraught with chaos, and they are eventually held back by a massive line of traffic, forcing them to abandon their car and proceed on foot. In the rush, they make a critical error: Nathan’s insulin is left behind in the vehicle. upon reaching the base's processing center, John realizes the mistake and leaves his family to retrieve the medicine.
While John is gone, Allison and Nathan attempt to pass through the checkpoint. However, upon discovering Nathan’s insulin kit and his medical condition, the military personnel flag him as ineligible. The selection algorithm disqualifies anyone with chronic illnesses requiring ongoing medication. Allison and Nathan are escorted off the base. Meanwhile, John retrieves the insulin and successfully boards a transport plane, unaware of his family's rejection. When he realizes they are not on board and have been turned away, he frantically demands to be let off. He jumps from the plane just before takeoff to find them.
Separation and The Road to Lexington
As John exits the secure zone, the situation outside the base collapses into anarchy. A panicked mob breaks through the perimeter fencing, engaging in a firefight with soldiers. The gunfire inadvertently ignites jet fuel, destroying several evacuation planes and killing many in the process. Amidst the carnage, John returns to their abandoned car and finds a note left by Allison: she and Nathan are heading to her father's home in Lexington, Kentucky.
Separately, Allison and Nathan manage to scavenge medical supplies from a looted pharmacy to manage Nathan's diabetes. They eventually hitch a ride with a couple, Ralph and Judy Vento. The situation turns sinister when Ralph realizes the value of the Garritys' wristbands. He forcibly kidnaps Nathan, intending to pose as his father to board an evacuation flight, and leaves a hysterical Allison stranded on the roadside. She tries to get help from passing cars, but the world has turned indifferent in its panic, leaving her hopeless and in tears.
A Desperate Journey North
John, now traveling alone, hitches a ride on a truck filled with other desperate civilians. A young man named Colin informs him that the truck is headed toward Osgoode, Ontario, Canada. Colin explains that private planes are flying from Osgoode to Greenland, which is rumored to be the location of the military evacuation bunkers. The tension in the truck spikes when another passenger notices John’s wristband and attempts to steal it. A violent struggle ensues, causing the truck to crash. Colin is killed in the accident, and John is forced to kill the aggressor in self-defense to survive.
Meanwhile, at a regional airport, Ralph and Judy Vento attempt to use the stolen wristband to board a plane, posing as Nathan's parents. Their plan fails when soldiers scan the bands and discover the biometric mismatch; Nathan is not their child. The Ventos are immediately arrested. Shortly after, Allison is reunited with Nathan at a nearby Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) camp. The next morning, John manages to steal a car and finally reaches his father-in-law Dale's house in Lexington. Allison and Nathan arrive shortly after, bringing the family back together.
The Race to Osgoode
Reunited, the family watches the news and learns that millions have already died from global impacts. The largest fragment—the extinction-level rock—is predicted to hit in approximately 24 hours. Piecing together the information from Colin, they deduce that the underground bunkers are located near Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. Realizing they have just enough time to make the drive to Canada, they decide to try for the private flights in Osgoode.
Allison’s father, Dale, chooses not to join them. He gives them his truck and opts to stay behind, accepting his fate to die in the home he loves. The Garritys speed toward Upstate New York but soon hit a massive traffic jam. Suddenly, the sky lights up as a shower of molten debris rains down on the highway. They narrowly escape death by taking refuge beneath an underpass while vehicles around them are incinerated. Once the debris shower passes, they continue their relentless drive north.
The Last Flight Out
As they make steady progress toward the Canadian border, a radio broadcast delivers harrowing news: Clarke's largest fragment, a colossus measuring 9 miles (14 km) wide, is projected to strike Western Europe, which will trigger a global cataclysm. The Garritys arrive at the Osgoode airport with mere minutes to spare. They drive onto the runway and manage to board the very last flight leaving for Greenland.
The flight is turbulent, and as they approach the coast of Greenland, a precursor comet fragment strikes the ocean nearby. The resulting shockwave hits the plane, causing it to crash-land in the frozen wasteland. The pilots are killed, but the Garritys and a handful of other passengers survive. With the sky burning above them, they flag down a passing military truck, which rushes them toward the sanctuary. They enter the massive bunker complex just as the 9-mile-wide fragment enters the atmosphere and slams into Earth, unleashing a wave of fire and destruction that obliterates civilization.
The New World
Nine months later, the dust begins to settle. The bunkers attempt to make radio contact with other potential survivors. The camera pans over images of total ruin across the globe, showing the skeletal remains of major cities including Sydney, Chicago, Paris, and Mexico City, all decimated by the impact and ensuing nuclear winter.
Back in Greenland, the massive blast doors of the shelter slowly open. The Garritys and other occupants step out into a radically changed landscape. The air is crisp, and the atmosphere is finally clearing. Over the radio, Greenland successfully makes contact with other survivor stations around the globe. The voices on the other end express relief, confirming that pockets of humanity have survived. As birds fly across the clearing sky, the survivors look out at the new world, ready to begin the long process of rebuilding.
