"I'll always worry about you, Alton. I like worrying about you"
Roy (Michael Shannon) has fled a religious cult with his 8-year old son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), which causes an amber alert to be issued on local and nationwide news. On the run, they along with an accomplice named Lucas (Joel Edgerton) head out to find a secret location which may offer them answers on Alton's mysterious powers. It will be a race along with the military and government to get there.
Midnight Special carries some interesting old-fashioned production values. From the traditional cinematography, costumes, to old-fashioned cars and other scenes, the film feels at times like a homage to other sci-fi movies from the 70's and 80's, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.. Like The Jungle Book in its sense of storytelling, director Jeff Nichols pulls off an impressive balance between modern-day visuals and a feel of the 70's and 80's.
The actors here are also superb. Shannon is incredibly game as Alton's worried and unsettled father, Roy. He really delivers in every scene he's given. Edgerton, who continues to bring in a diverse range of accents to his characters, adds another strong performance to his resume. Kirsten Dunst (the Spider-Man trilogy) is surprisingly convincing as Alton's mom, playing her role with the wisdom and warmth you would hope to expect. Adam Driver (most famous for playing Kylo Ren recently in Star Wars: The Force Awakens) has an interesting role here as a conflicted scientist trying to find out more about Alton and his powers. Sam Shepard is given only two scenes, but does well with what he's given.
The film's action sequences are exciting and really put you at the edge of your seat. And, in a smart decision by Nichols, the visual effects take a backseat here to the story and the connection Roy has with Alton. But in the two scenes where the modernized effects are used, they are used in a visually-stunning way. The asteroid scene is painstakingly well-executed. The view of Alton's home world (spoiler alert) does bring to mind Tomorrowland somewhat, but its still quite a sight to see.
There isn't much of a music score in the film, with the one repetitive piano piece heard in the trailer making a handful of reprises. David Wingo does provide a couple of other pieces at times, but, its not a particularly memorable score.
On the downside, the film does take its time through some scenes. And Nichols' screenplay leaves Alton's powers and how he wound up on Earth somewhat of a mystery. We're led to assume for ourselves what he has. The overall feel of mystery is a great element in science fiction, but at times, I felt some questions that I had about the film's plot to be unanswered. At the same time though, Nichols gives several scenes to focus on Roy and Alton's father-son relationship, and that comes through enough for us to really care about these two.
I don't see limited or arthouse releases much, if at all. But what made Midnight Special pop up on my radar was that its plot and look just felt like old-fashioned sci-fi. I had heard things about Jeff Nichols, but hadn't seen his previous films. With the mysterious, yet exciting first trailer, it was enough of an exciting project for it to barely land in my Top 10 Anticipated list for this year.
And, even though it hasn't hit a stride apparently with mainstream moviegoers, I have to admit, this is quite an impressive film. It's production values evoke of yesteryear, but it also manages to be complex, deep, and a little bit more mature (in terms of themes) than what you would expect to see out of a science fiction movie. Certainly it has more to say than the latest light saber and Millennium Falcon adventure.
Save for a few unresolved plot points, Midnight Special is a thrilling and well-directed endeavor. It may not be quite as moving or memorable as that of E.T. or WALL-E, but there are moments where it comes pretty close.
Score: 8.5/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: One use each of the s-word, "J----!" and "a--hole".
Adult Content: None.
Violence: This is where the film earns its PG-13 rating. Midnight Special contains some potentially frightening scenes for younger viewers. Alton has a few "accidents" involving his eyes turning into bright white lights from time to time. These happen fairly unexpectedly and cause earthquakes. A house nearly collapses from one. Alton also causes a major satellite to break and fall to earth like a bunch of meteors. These meteors cause some destruction and is a fairly loud sequence to boot. Lucas guns down a police officer. One unexpected gunfight results in a few bloody wounds (a couple of them are shown to be wearing bulletproof vests beforehand). Someone has their head slammed against a shower. The family's car runs into a military location, hitting a fence with barbed wire and coming apart until it flips over a few times, resulting in some injury and a little bit of blood.
Drugs/Alcohol: An alcoholic beverage is served in one scene, but the father doesn't consume it.
Other: Lucas and Roy do break and evade the law multiple times just to get Alton to safety. Some members of the religious cult "The Ranch" thinks of Alton as a "savior" of sorts, but this idea isn't explored very long nor is the cult's beliefs touched on very much.
