|
Midnight Special
| Released |
8 April 2016 |
| Director |
Jeff Nichols |
Starring
|
Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Jaeden Lieberher, Adam Driver, Bill Camp, Scott Haze, Sam Shepard, Paul Sparks |
| Writer(s) |
Jeff Nichols |
Producer(s)
|
Sarah Green, Brian Kavanagh-Jones |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
112 minutes |
| Genre |
Sci-fi, drama, adventure |
| Rating |
12A |
|
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Shine on.
Science fiction is one of the most difficult genres to get right. What’s even more difficult is to create sci-fi that manages to touch the viewer both emotionally and intellectually. Stephen Spielberg got this balance right in his early sci-fi dramas E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. These films have been critical touch points for Jeff Nichols’ new film Midnight Special ever since it opened to rave reviews at the Berlin Film Festival. It is a comparison that is easy to understand; Nichols is a filmmaker who makes thoughtful drama that has an organic, gritty quality to it while also being tinged with an almost fairytale sense of wonder.
Midnight Special begins in the mode of a classic thriller. Two men are holed up in a motel room, while on the TV their descriptions are announced as wanted fugitives. We hear that the two men have been accused of abducting a child from a religious commune but it quickly becomes clear that the child in question, Alton Meyer (Jaeden Lieberher) is in possession of mysterious powers and that the two men - his father Roy (Michael Shannon) and friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) are simply trying to protect him from those who would exploit his powers.
As a fan of Nichols’ work, I was excited to see how he would make the transition from the creeping threat of Take Shelter to the full blown sci-fi of Midnight Special. While I still believe that Nichols is a talent to cherish, the film is flawed in several important ways. The film’s first act, as Roy, Lucas and Alton flee across the country towards Alton’s estranged mother (Kirsten Dunst) is fantastic; taut, thrilling and mysterious. Where it falls down is in the area that Nichols usually excels at - the family drama. While Shannon is excellent as the protective father, I never felt any warmth in his relationship with Alton. Alton, due to his supernatural nature, lacks a humanity that would make him a compelling subject. Consequently, I found it difficult to forge an emotional connection with him as a character - it’s simply difficult to care about the boy.
The conclusion is also something of a problem. The film’s final act goes in a direction I was not expecting and to be honest, it wasn’t a road I was happy following Nichols down. That being said, the overall film is one that shows great ambition and the occasional moment of brilliance. I’ll forgive Nichols his moment of excess and anxiously await his next film.
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Linda O’Brien |
