Written by: Jeff Nichols
Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Sam Shepard, Jaeden Lieberher
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Due to his son's special powers, he and his father are on the run from the government and a cult.
Verdict
I like Jeff Nichols films. He manages to capture mood and emotion so well. Midnight Special leaves you with a few questions, but I don't mind that because the unanswered questions add depth to the main plot. This is a movie that explores devotion, love, and belief. It combines sci-fi and thriller and expects you to put the pieces together.
Watch it.
Review
This starts in media res. Two armed men are hiding out in a hotel room with a child. Have Roy and Lucas kidnapped this kid, Alton? They are obviously on the run. That's where the story starts, and the rest of the plot is masterfully built upon that initial moment. It's good story telling. This movie never holds my hand, and it expects me to pay attention and connect the information.
The concurrent story has an FBI agent played by Paul Sparks investigating a religious leader, Calvin (Sam Shepard). As an aside, I've seen Sparks in House of Cards and Stranger Things. I didn't realize he was Mickey Doyle in Boardwalk Empire, he seems liked a completely different person in that role.
The movie gives you clues. I wondered if the religious leader was head of a cult. As the story expands you realize it is a cult.
Alton is special. We learn the details of how he is special and why that has various groups chasing him. We don't learn how he got his powers or the full extent of his powers, but it's inconsequential. It's just a macguffin. The movie is about relationships. Roy and Lucas want to protect him, the cult thinks he is their savior, and the government wants to utilize him as a weapon. We don't know why Alton is special, but we see the devotion he engenders.
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| Midnight Special -How far does devotion drive a person? |
I've seen Nichols previous films Take Shelter and Mud. He continues to impress here. His movies share similarities, focusing on relationships, creating an atmosphere, and providing Michael Shannon a role. Shannon turns in another solid performance in Midnight Special as does Edgerton. While I'd rank all three of the movies equally high, Midnight Special loses the edge because it lacks the small moments between characters that Nichols does so well. This has few chances to slow down with the protagonists on the run, but doesn't do enough to capitalize on those moments. At least, not like he's done in his previous films.
If you want this movie to explain all of the details, it's not going to happen. This movie expects you to fill in a lot of the blanks, though it's never a chore. It requires participation. Nichols gives you enough to know what's going on. That gives the world an incredible amount of depth because I feel like I only see part of it. It's a portrait of love, devotion, and family, expanding on these words and to whom they apply.
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