Midnight Special (2016)

Review

112min

Genre:      Sci-fi, Drama, Mystery

Director:   Jeff Nichols

Cast:        Jaeden Lieberher, Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton…and more

Writer:     Jeff Nichols

-Synopsis-

In a desperate attempt to protect his son who possesses mysterious supernatural powers; a man goes on the run from religious zealots and government forces with the help of his companions, on a mission to get his gifted boy where he needs to be in this Sci-fi/Drama from the maker of ‘Mud’ and ‘Take Shelter’.

Writer/director Jeff Nichols’s debut foray into science fiction and first major studio film is in many ways a leap of faith; so it’s perhaps unsurprising that he turns for comfort to familiar elements of the American South, a non-conventional family dynamic and to his muse Michael Shannon in crafting an Earthbound Sci-fi that’s anchored in real human drama.

Michael Shannon stars as the father on the run with his mysteriously gifted son, who’s seen as a saviour by some and a threat to others, played impressively by young Jaeden Lieberher; alongside a strong cast of accomplished indie and mainstream actors.

Much has been made of how much ‘Midnight Special’ has been influenced by the classics of the genre; indeed Jeff Nichols both takes from and pays tribute to everything from early Spielberg and Carpenter to ‘The X-Files’ and more contemporary fare.

But Nichols infuses his own grittier tone here and we don’t quite get the sense of adventure and wonderment that we do from truly memorable Sci-fi classics, but by the end of the film we can’t help but think a little “Close Encounters of the Tomorrowland Kind” just went down.

Like all good Sci-fi does, ‘Midnight Special’ somewhat reflects our society; within and around the action and drama are clear themes of unbreakable family devotion, blind faith and a society resigned to constantly being watched on all sides and by many forces.

‘Midnight Special’ is certainly an ambitious film, perhaps too ambitious; this Sci-fi based drama is essentially a road/chase movie that builds somewhat like a thriller, with a touching father/son relationship drama at its core. But it’s the mystery that threads the film together and despite a decent effort at the other elements, you just wanna know what the hell is going on and who or what this kid is.

So the payoff is key here… and that’s were ‘Midnight Special’ takes a big stumble. This is a relatively slow-burn “thriller” which builds nicely but then falters in the 3rd act, despite the drama. So when we get to the underwhelming and almost incidental conclusion, we can’t help but feel let down.

The characters remain slightly ambiguous throughout and in the end you don’t get the satisfaction of finding out who they are beyond the superficial. Yes ‘Midnight Special’ is a more cerebral Sci-fi option than most of what’s out there, but this is not the profound filmmaking or compelling narrative that elevates the genre to a new level.

In the end ‘Midnight Special’ is an entertaining and engrossing enough watch, but this is really a road movie, dressed in family drama clothing and draped in a thin cloak of science fiction.

The Bottom Line…

A promising writer/director’s first leap into major studio filmmaking is an ambitious and compelling endeavour; ‘Midnight Special’ builds nicely to stumble at the final crucial hurdle, but thanks to a strong cast and thought-provoking material, this is still a gripping if unspectacular effort from Jeff Nichols.

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Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

A man becomes obsessed with an other-worldly encounter in rural America, forsaking everything to reach a place where he and a disparate group people are compelled towards. But they’re not the only ones who seek to solve the mystery of man’s place in the universe in this Sci-fi classic from the great Steven Spielberg.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut and Melinda Dillon among others.

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