Movie Reviews

‘Greenland’ Blu-Ray Review – Disaster Epic Rises Above Genre Trappings Thanks To Emotional Core

By Dillon Gonzales
February 10, 2021
No Comments

A family fights for survival as a planet-killing comet races to Earth. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and young son Nathan make a perilous journey to their only hope for sanctuary. Amid terrifying news accounts of cities around the world being leveled by the comet’s fragments, the Garrity’s experience the best and worst in humanity while they battle the increasing panic and lawlessness surrounding them. As the countdown to global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven.

For in-depth thoughts on Greenland, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Greenland comes to Blu-Ray in a very strong 1080p presentation in its 2:39.1 OAR that truly shines in high definition. The clarity throughout is truly outstanding with subtle flourishes of the locations and clothing coming through crystal clear. Color saturation is great with the moody color palette consistently represented throughout. Skin tones are natural, although a lot of this varies depending on the lighting conditions. There is a lot of activity in a multitude of environments, which provides a lot of opportunity for fine detail and pops of green foliage off the screen. Black levels are pretty deep and do not fall victim to any noticeable banding or macroblocking. This is a film that takes place largely at night, in lower light or under a fiery sky, which pushes the presentation to its limits. There does appear to be some source noise that more sensitive viewers may be distracted by, but it does not make for an unpleasant experience. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray presentation that is pretty fantastic in the absence of a 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is among the best I have heard on the format in recent memory. While the sound design does not take into account any height channels, this track remains a real knockout. There is pretty consistent activity in this briskly paced film from jump, which gives ample opportunity to engage the speakers. Environmental effects apart from the obvious are rendered supremely well, such as in the packed crowds that create a low-level roar that has a distinct personality in the mix. This film is packed with massive moments of destruction that are conveyed with immense depth, precision and detail. There are moments where you might wonder if your house will be able to withstand the assault on the low end. Despite the moments of genuine chaos, dialogue comes through clearly and never gets stepped on by any sound effects or the score. All of the sounds have an accurate sense of direction within the mix with noises zooming around the speakers in compelling ways. This mix is one that you will want to break out when you are showing off your glorious surround sound system.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Ric Roman Waugh and Producer Basil Iwanyk provide a steady commentary track in which they discuss the unintended connections to COVID, having a flawed lead character, the cast and their chemistry and much more. There is nothing too crazy here, but it provides some solid background details that are entertaining.

Deleted Scenes: Five minutes of unused material comprising three scenes including a different ending for the film. These are provided with optional introductions from Director Ric Roman Waugh.

Humanity: A minute-long look at the basic tenets of the film as discussed by the cast and crew.

Final Thoughts

Greenland satisfies everything you want out of a big spectacle disaster movie, but it pushes even further to deliver something more substantial than normal. The key to Greenland avoiding becoming another in a long line of disposable catastrophic narratives is the way in which it leans into the emotional family components. Gerard Butler is known for being a tough-guy action star, but he eschews that somewhat here to deliver one of his most nuanced roles to date. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that features a lovely video presentation and a reference-level audio presentation, along with a few interesting special features. If you are a fan of disaster films, this one ranks higher than most. Recommended

Greenland is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.