Netflix added Gerard Butler’s Geostorm to its library, and the movie quickly started trending on the streaming service, but subscribers should check out a similar (better) film starring the actor instead. The 2017 sci-fi disaster movie, directed by Dean Devlin and written by Devlin and Paul Guyot, chronicles the fallout from a cataclysmic weather-controlling satellite system failure. Thanks to this malfunction, it’s up to Butler’s character, Jake Lawson, to save the world in Geostorm.
In late 2017, Geostorm grossed a little over $221 million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $120–130 million, resulting in the studio (Warner Bros.) losing around $71 million.
Jake, a scientist/satellite designer, is the only one who can prevent the planet from experiencing a climate catastrophe in Geostorm. So, he races against the clock to figure out how and/or why the satellite system broke down. Even though the story in Butler’s action movie is seemingly enticing many to watch on Netflix eight years after its premiere, it mostly received negative reviews when it was first released in theaters. Thankfully for Butler, he starred in another disaster flick a few years after Geostorm‘s premiere, and it was much more loved than his first one.
Gerard Butler Starred In Greenland Just 3 Years After Geostorm
Greenland Is Another End-Of-The-World Movie
Gerard Butler returned to the disaster genre three years after Geostorm with Greenland. The 2020 apocalyptic survival disaster thriller film, directed by Ric Roman Waugh and written by Chris Sparling, revolves around the end of the world, just like Butler’s other movie. However, in Greenland, a planet-destroying comet is the threat as opposed to a failing weather-controlling satellite system.
At the beginning of the movie Greenland, Butler’s character, John Garrity, and his family plan to watch a highly anticipated comet pᴀssing event from their home in Atlanta, Georgia. Scientists originally believed that the interstellar object would mostly pᴀss Earth. It was supposed to come close but not strike it (aside from a fragment estimated to land in the Atlantic Ocean). Unfortunately, that doesn’t turn out to be the case. A fragment hits Tampa, Florida, taking out most of the state, and chaos ensues. The comet is then expected to collide directly with Earth within days, potentially destroying the planet.
Without spoiling Waugh’s Greenland any further, the film revolves around John and his family’s (which includes his estranged wife, Morena Baccarin’s Allison, and his son, Roger Dale Floyd’s Nathan) mission to survive this extinction-level event.
Just prior to the comet’s first landfall, John receives a message from the Department of Homeland Security, revealing that he and his family have been chosen for emergency sheltering. Given its limited capacity, millions of people are left to fend for themselves. Without spoiling Waugh’s Greenland any further, the film revolves around John and his family’s (which includes his estranged wife, Morena Baccarin’s Allison, and his son, Roger Dale Floyd’s Nathan) mission to survive this extinction-level event.
Why Reviews For Greenland Are So Much Better Than Geostorm
Geostorm Was Criticized For Its Script, While Greenland’s Was Praised
The two Gerard Butler movies, despite both being in the disaster genre, couldn’t have received a more different reception from critics and audiences alike. Whereas Geostorm was widely panned by critics, many celebrated Greenland and gave the film its flowers. On Rotten Tomatoes, Geostorm‘s Tomatometer score sits at 18%, while Greenland‘s is 77%.
|
Gerard Butler Movie |
Release Date |
Worldwide Box Office |
RT Tomatometer Score |
RT Popcornmeter Score |
IMDb Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Geostorm |
October 20, 2017 |
$221.6 million |
18% |
35% |
5.3/10 |
|
Greenland |
December 18, 2020 |
$52.3 million (Note: Greenland‘s U.S. theatrical release was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic) |
77% |
63% |
6.4/10 |
Many reviews for Geostorm found fault with the disaster movie’s visuals, lackluster script, and poorly written characters. Consequently, Geostorm was a critical and commercial failure. A few years later, Butler seemingly wanted to redeem himself from his 2017 disappointment with Greenland, and he was more than successful. Critics lauded the 2020 apocalyptic survival disaster thriller for its tense yet gripping and heartfelt story, poignant underlying message, enticing action, and the cast’s emotional performances. Richard Roeper’s Chicago Sun-Times review even likened Greenland to Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds.
Greenland’s Sequel Is Still In Development
Greenland: Migration Will Reportedly Premiere In 2025
The good news is that Greenland‘s highly praised story continues in a sequel тιтled Greenland: Migration (spoiler alert for the ending of Greenland ahead). Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, and Roger Dale Floyd reprise their roles in the second film, which doesn’t have a specific release date yet but is expected to premiere in 2025. The sequel will begin with the Garritys leaving the bunker that saved them and searching for a new home in the wasteland that was once Earth. Other than that, though, not much else is known about Greenland: Migration. Hopefully, its quality will align more with the original movie than Geostorm.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
