Morena Baccarin And Gerard Butler's Sci-Fi Movie Series Is A Perfect HBO Max Double Feature

HBO Max might keep hiking up its prices, but at least the streaming service has some good movies available. As of this writing, fans of disaster films can check out "Greenland" and its sequel, "Greenland: Migration," starring Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin as a husband and wife who must survive the end of the world.

In "Greenland," Butler and Baccarin's characters — along with their son — head to a military bunker on the eponymous island, as it's one of the only refuges on Earth that won't be destroyed by an imminent comet. It doesn't last long, though, as "Greenland: Migration" sees their safe haven get wiped out by earthquakes and electromagnetic storms. With few options left, the family embarks on a journey across Europe in search of a crater that is said to be protected from the damaging environmental effects.

The "Greenland" flicks aren't the most scientifically accurate sci-fi movies out there, but they're more grounded than many other Hollywood disaster movies. Director Ric Roman Waugh consulted with NASA experts to find out what would happen if Earth was struck by a comet like the one in "Greenland." Obviously, some unrealistic elements were included for the sake of action and drama, but that's to be expected.

That said, the "Greenland" franchise stands apart from other disaster movies by prioritizing emotion and character-driven storytelling over spectacle. As such, viewers shouldn't go into the films expecting a good time in the traditional sense.

There are body counts in most Hollywood disaster movies, but they're often overshadowed by the spectacle of nature taking its course in over-the-top ways. The "Greenland" flicks take a different approach, however, by making us care about the characters before killing them off. They're harrowing movies, to put it mildly, and they focus on how humanity would probably react to the world imploding. 

"When I read 'Greenland,' I realized that the movie was never about the comet," Ric Roman Waugh told Film Inquiry. "That monster was too easy to identify. The other monster was humanity itself. It was about what we would do in a life-or-death situation."

"Greenland: Migration" expands upon these ideas by depicting a world amid societal breakdowns. Everyone is desperate to survive and will kill their neighbor, if needed. Meanwhile, countries are at war for the aforementioned crater that proves to be a safe haven. The "Greenland" saga contains some optimistic moments, but there's also a cynical worldview that feels true to life. Still, the films deserve credit for making viewers think about our species in a nuanced light.