Plot: A father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child’s special powers.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Stunningly Special
Story: Midnight Special starts by letting us know from the start that Alton Meyer (Lieberher) has been kidnapped, he is with Roy (Shannon) and Lucas (Edgerton) traveling at night to escape a cult run by Calvin Meyer (Shepard). We learn that Alton has special abilities the Calvin has been using but has gained the attention of the NSA with Sevier (Driver) looking into the reasons.
The cult has come to worship Alton because of his powers and will do anything to get him back because their date of judgment is coming up. We come to learn Roy along with Lucas and Sarah (Dunst) need to get Alton to a certain location by a certain date, but the mystery remains what for?
Midnight Special does what you will want all film to do, give us a simple concept with plenty of mystery about it because we do follow the on the run idea and the chaser’s views but we just don’t understand why Alton is so special. We see just how desperate Roy is to save his son added with Sevier’s desire to learn more about Alton’s gift without harming him. Mixing all this together we get a film that pulls us in within seconds that keeps us guessing until we finally see the truth. This is one of the most complete stories you will see this year.
Actor Review
Michael Shannon: Roy is the father of Alton who has taken him from the cult that worship him to get him to a certain location. We see how far Roy will go to make sure his son is safe and how he is with the only ones he can trust. Michael is fantastic in this role reach every single line of desperation his character finds himself in.
Joel Edgerton: Lucas is a state trooper and friend that Roy turns to for help, he drops everything to make sure he does help him but doesn’t fully understand what he has gotten himself into. Joel is great in this supporting role never trying to steal any of the scenes.
Kirsten Dunst: Sarah is the mother of Alton who hasn’t been on the ranch for a while she escaped but had to leave her son behind but when Roy turns up she comes along to save him from the cult. Kirsten is good in this supporting role show how she is picking her roles very well at the moment.
Jaeden Lieberher: Alton is the boy in question, he has abilities unlike anything the world has ever seen before. He has become worshiped by a cult but now the government see him as a threat to national security. Jaeden give us a performance that could easily put on a par with Haley Joel Osment in Sixth Sense.
Support Cast: Midnight Special has a supporting cast from all three angles trying to use Alton for their own reasons with Adam Driver being the stand out of all off the supporting cast.
Director Review: Jeff Nichols – Jeff gives us one of the most suspense driven sci-fi thrillers in recent years mostly because you simply just don’t know what will happen next.
Adventure: Midnight Special takes our characters on what is an adventure across country to help Alton get to where he needs to be.
Sci-Fi: Midnight Special takes a spin on the sci-fi genre by having the young boy with these abilities talking about another world, which just makes us wonder what is going on.
Thriller: Midnight Special keeps us on edge from start to finish as we just keep wondering what is going on and where everything will end up going.
Settings: Midnight Special has a mix of settings as we see the journey continue but each setting would be a good hide away from people looking for people on the run.
Special Effects: Midnight Special uses flawless special effects when we see what Alton is capable of and in the final act.
Suggestion: Midnight Special is one you will need to go and watch, it will keep you guessing until the very end. (Watch)
Best Part: Gas station scene because it comes from nowhere.
Worst Part: I would have liked to see more from the cult’s leader.
Oh My God Moment: The final act.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: Could be a few outside placing, much like Ex-Macina level of chances.
Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
Tagline: He’s not like us.
Overall: One of the best sci-fi film in recent years.
Rating
