Review of Midnight Special (2016) by Doodlerman — 22 Mar 2016

Midnight Special, for me, was a disappointment. It has a great start, but devolves into a convoluted, frustrating work that's ultimately pointless on the surface level. I'm certain there's a deeper meaning, but unlike Jeff Nichols' previous work, which I've loved, I don't feel the slightest bit compelled to dig deeper. It's essentially a religious E.T. flick. The only problem, is that it's never clear what the significance of this religious figure of a kid really is. Maybe it's worth a second viewing to find out more, but the frustrating amount of ambiguity is daunting to even think about.

The cast is mostly great - Adam Driver being a particularly fun addition, simply because of his character's comedic awkwardness and overall relatable lack of understanding. I took issue with Jaeden Lieberher's performance - he plays Alton, the Jesus-angel-kid - simply because he lacked emotion for most of the movie. He was a stoic mystery, which is fine on paper, but it's not a character you can relate to - especially considering all of what he's been through during the events of the film.

It's difficult to play off faith in something, and while Midnight Special makes it absolutely clear that whatever Alton's goal is, it's the real deal, I couldn't help but feel everyone was just blindly following him. I was expecting Alton to have some kind of darker role in the grand scheme of things, but in the end, I can't really say he even has a good role. It ends as ambiguously as it started and based on what the movie gives us, it feels painfully pointless.