(L-R) Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd and Gerard Butler star in GREENLAND
What would we do if we knew the Earth was doomed? How would we respond as a nation, or—more importantly—as a human race—if we knew that an extinction-level event was coming? The movie “Greenland,” which was released today for streaming, explores that question. It is, at its core, an action-thriller disaster movie, but it also examines some questions of human nature and offers up at least one option for how the human race might survive such a catastrophe.
Without giving too much away (definitely nothing you can’t learn by watching the trailer), the premise of “Greenland” is that a large comet breaks up and rains down on Earth—decimating the planet, but the protagonist (played by Gerard Butler) and his family are trying to make their way to Greenland where there are supposedly some emergency bunkers.
Advantages of a Surveillance State
If you know that a comet or asteroid is on a collision course for Earth, and that it will be an extinction-level event that will destroy the planet as we know it, how do you preserve the human race? Underground bunkers might suffice—but you can only store so much in terms of supplies and you can’t possible save everyone. So, how do you choose who gets saved and who gets left behind to get wiped out by the comet?
While there are many negative aspects of the surveillance state and all of the data and information that governments and private companies know about you, one advantage might be in a scenario such as this. Access to who you are, what you do, and details about your life might be helpful in determining who will be of value in preserving and rebuilding the human race.
It is also interesting to consider how a government would share information or communicate in such an event. All of the technology we have at our disposal also makes it much easier to communicate—both in general and during a crisis. Granted, technology also fails and crashes and goes offline, but we have so many different options now that at least one of them should be available in most cases.
Theaters vs. Streaming
I had a chance to speak with Ric Roman Waugh, the director of Greenland, a few months ago before COVID-19 pushed the theatrical release date. I won’t spoil the movie, but I asked him what went into the choices made for what a catastrophic impact should look like. He explained that they had studied the atmosphere after the wildfires in Australia to gain insight into how the environment responds and what the sky would look like.
Waugh made it very clear that he would prefer to release the movie in theaters. He told me that everything about the movie—how shots are framed, the soundtrack, the lighting, etc.—are all decisions that are made to optimize the experience for the big screen. He stressed the value of escaping reality for a couple hours and being able to immerse yourself in a story and just be entertained.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is not cooperating, and studios are being forced to make tough decisions about releasing movies. Warner Brothers recently announced that all of its movies in 2021 will be released in select theaters, but will also be available to stream on HBO Max at the same time.
“Greenland” released today (December 18) as a Prime Video on Demand selection. I recommend the movie. If you are looking for something to watch this weekend or over the holidays, I hope you will support the movie industry by streaming “Greenland” and other movies.
Read Again https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonybradley/2020/12/18/greenland-explores-how-planet-earth-might-address-an-extinction-level-event/Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "‘Greenland’ Explores How Planet Earth Might Address An Extinction Level Event - Forbes"
Post a Comment