Our (seemingly) yearly dose of Gerard Butler thrillers in January sees the prominent Scottish star return to the post-apocalyptic world of the 2020 disaster thriller Greenland. The follow-up, Greenland 2: Migration, is unfortunately a lackluster effort that barely gets your pulse going. 

Set five years after the Clarke comet caused immense devastation across Earth, John Garrity (Butler) and his family are barely surviving in a bunker. However, with worsening conditions causing their home to crumble, they traverse dangerous landscapes and weather towards a supposed safe haven where new life is emerging. Within this premise, Migration actually explores some intriguing parts of its post-apocalyptic world and features some story beats that keep you, at the very least, mildly engaged. It’s interesting to see the aftermath of Clarke’s impact basically turn nature into a deadly force. Lightning storms are wildly powerful and fragments from above raining down making it feel like Clake is striking all over again. Disastrous weather is that perfect lurking villain, and there are some solid thrills that come from John and his family dodging death at nearly every turn.

Then, there’s a human element to it all that creates a mix of hope and horror. While John finds plenty of helping hands along the way, there’s a lot of dangerous people he can’t avoid. Whether it’s growing conflicts between government and insurgent forces or marauders looking to steal resources from other survivors, there are plenty of scenes that showcase how desperate, and even depraved, people are now. There’s a great sequence through a decrepit market that emphasizes how FUBAR everything is, and it sets a pretty dour tone that carries through John’s journey. All in all, Migration expands the scope of Greenland’s post-apocalyptic world like any sequel should. But it’s not enough to really impress. 

The emotional core this film tries to establish through John’s family and his declining health from radiation exposure is incredibly hollow. Regardless how many tender scenes this film tries to inject between the danger, it’s never enough to leave much of an impact because this script is devoid of real depth. It’s filled with useless side characters, pointless scenes of this family playing “road trip games,” and thin plot ideas that crudely stitch this adventure together. With such a weak narrative, any attempt at showcasing crushing sacrifice or heartwarming growth falls totally flat. It’s a big reason this sequel’s story is very boring and the pacing is immensely sluggish at times. Even with Butler and Morena Baccarin trying their best to create an emotional pull through some loving scenes, their emotion comes off forced because of the recycled, generic dialogue that comes with it. Even worse, Migration drops the ball with its natural disasters thrills. 

Overall, the effects are generally fine with some huge lightning strikes and a wind-filled trek across a mountain gap eliciting a big screen feel. However, the tension of these sequences never lasts. The clear plot armor on the main group makes the stakes too low to be enjoyed, and the scenes, themselves, just aren’t that spectacular-feeling. For a sequel, the thrills feel cut down and this film desperately needs a heightened sense of danger. You can basically count the big action sequences on one hand, which is super disappointing, and none of them leave a lasting mark. The ending, in particular, is wildly underwhelming because it leans into an emotional plot thread that doesn’t work instead of some towering finale threat. Honestly, it’s crazy how lame Migration’s finale stretch is and its attempts to leave things on an emotional high is literally pitiful. 

Despite some potential with its central danger and story ideas, Migration boasts a crummy script and empty thrills. Although Butler’s more recent action-thriller endeavors have started the year on a surprising high, Migration just doesn’t have the juice to be anything but an undesired, forgettable follow-up.

Watch the Trailer Here: