Review of Midnight Special (2016) by Thomas D — 08 Apr 2016

Jeff Nichols continues to make some of the most compelling small budget films of the last several years. Midnight Special is another visually impressive and meticulously crafted stories to be put to film in 2016.

Midnight Special tells the story of Alton Meyer, an 8-year-old boy, who is forced to go on the run with his father as the government desires to lock him up for his special and mysterious abilities. Jaeden Lieberher from St. Vincent fame, plays Alton, and he's joined by Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, and Jeff Nichols regular Michael Shannon who plays his father. The film depends on its cast to carry a story that may not appeal to a general audience. After all, it's not like the marketing showed much of anything (which I'm personally grateful for).

But even so, the real hero here is Jeff Nichols. It's not a story that will necessarily blow anybody away as we seen similar stories with Close Encounters of the Third Kind or Looper, but the direction of Nichols really sucks you in. It's also nicely complemented by a score from David Wingo which sets the mood for the entirety of this dark story. And I guess that would be perhaps my only gripe with the film. There isn't much enjoyment within the story where I think they had an opportunity to implant some. The humor aspect of it is just preference on my part, but when it's so dark and grim, you sometimes need some relief.

Overall, Jeff Nichols does a wonderful job of telling this small budget sci-fi film. Everyone in the cast is great and there are plenty of surprises along the way. Sure, there could have been some more fun here, but I would think any sci-fi fan would find Midnight Special one of the most compelling films of the year. For the best possible experience, I would recommend going in knowing little to nothing about the plot.

+Nichols' style.

+Score.

+Sci-Fi elements/surprises.

-Could use some comic relief every now and then.

8.0/10.