Greenland Recap: What to Remember Before Greenland 2

If you’re gearing up for Greenland 2: Migration, here’s the fast-but-thorough refresher on Greenland (2020): the key characters, the chain of disasters, and the ending explained. This recap is spoiler-heavy for the first film.

Quick context: Greenland 2: Migration hit U.S. theaters on January 9, 2026, continuing the Garrity family’s story after the “Clarke” comet catastrophe.

The 60-second “what you must remember” list

The threat isn’t one rock. “Clarke” is a comet, and its fragments start hitting early—turning cities into instant zero-survivor zones.
The Garritys are selected… then nearly rejected. John, Allison, and their son Nathan are chosen for shelter, but Nathan’s diabetes becomes a life-or-death complication in a system designed to keep “medical risks” out.
The wristbands are everything. They’re the only proof the family is “cleared” to reach military evacuation points—making them targets for desperate people.
They get separated multiple times. The movie’s tension comes from constant forced choices: chase safety, or go back for family (and medicine).
Greenland is the real destination. The safe haven is an underground bunker complex near Thule Air Base in Greenland.
The world ends… and then there’s a beat of hope. The family makes it inside as the largest impact hits. Months later, survivors make contact and step outside into a clearing atmosphere.

Who’s who (and why they matter)

John Garrity (Gerard Butler): a structural engineer, selected for shelter, and constantly forced to decide between “the mission” and “the family.”
Allison Garrity (Morena Baccarin): the emotional anchor—she’s also the one who refuses to let the system erase Nathan when the rules turn cruel.
Nathan Garrity: a kid with diabetes who needs insulin. His condition isn’t just a plot detail—it’s the reason the family keeps getting blocked, hunted, and separated.
Dale (Allison’s father): the person who represents what millions do in apocalypse stories: he stays behind, not because he “gives up,” but because he’s making a choice about time, age, and odds.
Ralph & Judy Vento: a terrifying “ordinary people under pressure” example—what panic can do to empathy.

Greenland full plot recap (spoilers)

1) The “selected” message and the first shock impact

John Garrity is in Atlanta trying to keep normal life together when news coverage turns from “space curiosity” to “unthinkable emergency.” He gets an official alert: his family has been selected for emergency sheltering. Almost immediately, the first major fragment doesn’t land where experts predicted—it slams into a populated area, and the tone of the whole film changes. This is not a “watch the hero save the world” story; it’s a “run, or die” story.

2) Wristbands, checkpoints, and the cruelty of triage

The Garritys are directed to report for evacuation, and the wristbands become their lifeline. But at the base, Nathan’s diabetes is discovered and the system treats it like a disqualifier. John boards a plane, realizes Allison and Nathan are left behind, and makes the defining choice of the movie: he gets off—because surviving alone isn’t surviving.

3) Insulin becomes the ticking clock inside the ticking clock

Nathan’s insulin (and the family’s access to it) turns every detour into a potential death sentence. On the road, people aren’t just scared; they’re strategic. The wristbands make the Garritys targets, and Nathan is kidnapped by strangers trying to steal a future for themselves.

4) The escape route shifts: “Greenland is the bunker”

Through chaos, rumors, and the last scraps of information, John learns the real destination: Greenland. A private airstrip in Canada becomes the last chance to reach evacuation flights that lead to the bunker complex near Thule. The family reunites, then sprints toward a closing door—while the world’s timeline collapses.

5) The last flight and the final sprint underground

The Garritys reach the airstrip and board the last flight. Even then, the universe doesn’t “reward” them with an easy landing. The plane crash-lands, survivors scramble, and they push toward the bunker complex as the final, civilization-ending strike arrives.

Greenland ending explained

They survive the impact… but the movie doesn’t pretend that means “everything’s fine”

The ending is bleak in the big-picture sense (the planet is devastated), but it’s hopeful in the human sense. The Garritys make it into the bunker complex before the final strike. The film then jumps forward months later: survivors make radio contact with other survivor groups, and the bunker inhabitants finally step outside as the atmosphere begins to clear.

What the ending is really saying

“Survival” is the start of the story, not the finish. Getting into a bunker is only step one—food, power, health, and rebuilding are step two.
Humanity isn’t wiped out. The radio contact confirms pockets of survivors exist beyond Greenland.
The Garritys are positioned as rebuilders. John’s practical skills and Allison’s resilience aren’t just useful during escape—they matter after the dust settles.

What Greenland sets up for Greenland 2: Migration (no big spoilers)

1) The bunker was never meant to be forever

The first movie ends with people going outside again. That alone implies the next chapter has to answer: where do survivors go, what resources exist, and how do you build a life in a changed world?

2) The world is fractured, not empty

Greenland shows how fast society can destabilize when survival is scarce. That’s a setup for a sequel where the biggest threat may not be the sky—it may be the people who learned the wrong lessons during the collapse.

3) “Migration” is a promise: the story gets bigger than one bunker

Without diving into spoilers, the sequel’s premise centers on the Garrity family leaving the relative safety of Greenland and traveling through a dangerous, broken world in search of a new home.

FAQ

Do I need to rewatch Greenland before Greenland 2?

If you remember the broad strokes (the “Clarke” comet, the wristbands, the Greenland bunker, and the final “outside again” moment), you’re good. If you forgot the emotional beats—especially John’s choices and Nathan’s medical situation—this recap covers what matters.

What should I pay closest attention to from the first film?

How the system chose people (and how quickly those rules became brutal).
Why John is valuable (problem-solving under pressure, infrastructure mindset).
The “outside world” mood: panic, scarcity, and moral collapse alongside real acts of kindness.
The ending’s tone: devastation + hope, which is exactly the kind of runway a sequel needs.

Where can I find official info about Greenland 2?

The official site is here: greenland2.movie

If you want quick factual references: Greenland (2020) facts and Greenland 2: Migration facts.