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Midnight Special's intriguing mysteries may not resolve themselves to every viewer's liking, but the journey is ambitious, entertaining, and terrifically acted. Read critic reviews
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Midnight Special videos
Midnight Special: International Trailer 1
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Movie Info
The government and a group of religious extremists pursue a man (Michael Shannon) and his son (Jaeden Lieberher), a young boy who possesses special powers.
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Rating: PG-13 (Some Violence|Action)
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Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery & thriller
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Original Language: English
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Director: Jeff Nichols
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Producer: Sarah Green, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
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Writer: Jeff Nichols
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $3.7M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
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Production Co: Tri-State Pictures
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Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Cast & Crew
News & Interviews for Midnight Special
Critic Reviews for Midnight Special
Audience Reviews for Midnight Special
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Syfy is one of the toughest breeds to deliver a perfect film in the industry. So many things can go wrong whether it's with the story, the effects or the acting more-so than any other genre. Jeff Nichols, known primarily for his low-budget success stories, like Take Shelter and Mud, has nearly nailed down the ability to tell a complex and twisted story with such simple techniques. Midnight Special should be added to his growing list of accomplishments, but for most people not glued into the genre, it may come off as disjointed and unfulfilled. Special is a top-notch film for acting. Michael Shannon is always so powerful in his performances while Joel Edgerton adds some grit and levity to the situation; they seem to have kidnapped a young boy off what appears to be a cultist ranch in Texas outside San Angelo to get him to a point in America that's important only because they keep telling us it it. Kirsten Dunce and Adam Driver play their roles pretty one-note while even the briefest glimpses of Sam Shepard liven the already-strong cast. If there's one underlying take away from their performances, it's that no one seemed worried in the slightest about something going wrong. Unfortunately, this makes watching Midnight Special a bit...routine. With no traditional syfy effects until the very end, we get a story built on its central character, Alston the boy, instead of a director mucking up a fantasy world or parallel earth or what-have-you. With no real explanations, Nichols mostly leaves the answers up to our discretion as to what Alston is capable of or why he's even here in the first place. Midnight Special, while superbly acted and paced at just the right speed, has a bold message to deliver for humanity, however, most of the journey through the two hours of run time is watered down by the time we reach the end because of the the overall feeling of predestination. Overall, for the casual movie goer and syfy enthusiast alike, it may leave you feeling a little light in the pocket.
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It's like Donnie Darko and Looper had a baby. A less talented baby, but still, pretty impressive.
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After making his name with three independent films in Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter and Mud, director Jeff Nichols approaches his fourth feature with a bigger budget, making it his first studio production and allowing him to operate on a slightly more ambitious and grander scale. However, Nichols has a particular approach to storytelling and resists the urge to let the budget overshadow his intentions. Fans of his will be happy to hear that he continues his promise as a director with great depth and substance. Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) is young boy with a very special gift. So special that it attracts the attention of religious extremists and the Federal Government. To protect him, his father Roy (Michael Shannon) and his longtime friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) go on the run with Alton to try and uncover the truth behind his special powers and how it could have a huge impact on the world itself. From his aforementioned independent films, Nichols utilised the intensive talents of Michael Shannon and it has become a solid collaboration that you can rely on. With the exception of Mud, Shannon again takes front-and centre in Midnight Special and it's yet another example of how this actor/director partnership works so well. Nichols likes to tread a particularly methodical path with his stories and Shannon always seems to know the terrain very well, complimenting Nichols' approach with his usual brooding intensity. What's different this time, however, is that Nichols aims higher and quite literally aims for the stars. Gone is the Shakespearean tragedy of Shotgun Stories and the parable of Mud and in its place we experience the otherworldly and supernatural elements that he attempted with Take Shelter. In doing so, Nichols puts his trust in the audience to accept the premise and roll with it. It's a gamble but it's a gamble that pays off due to Nichols' sincere approach to the story and through the sincerity of his committed cast. There's and unmistakable flavour of Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind and John Carpenter's Starman but yet still has the deliberate approach that Nichols has shown in his previous films. He resists the urge to shower the narrative in schmaltz, instead choosing to linger long on shots and capture the angst amongst his characters. Is it formulaic? Yes. Is it predictable? Yes it is, but despite the formula and the film heading closer and closer to a predictable conclusion, Nichols still manages to pull through. His revelations verge on going too far but by the end you realise that you've witnessed a film that crosses all sorts of genres; it's an introspective drama, a restrained chase movie and an imaginative Sci-Fi and it tackles all the tropes with a deftness and skill. We've seen it all before but Nichols utilises that sense of wonder and touches upon the biblical elements that made his previous films so engaging. His grandest achievement, though, is maintaining a freshness and preventing a tried-and-tested story from becoming stale. Much of Nichols' vision wouldn't be realised without his strong cast. For imaginative and otherworldly material of this type, it requires a commitment from those onscreen and all the principal leads deliver; Shannon is always an actor that can express so much by doing so little and it's easy to see why Nichols stands by him but it was the emotive (if underwritten) Dunst and, particularly, the charismatic Edgerton that really stood out for me. They both offer an emotional balance to Shannon's stoicism and young newcomer Jacob Lieberher has an ease and likability that convinces. It's four for four from Nichols now and he's fast became a director that instills a feeling of anticipation on the news of a new project. His next film Loving (again with Edgerton and Shannon) can't arrive quick enough. Mark Walker
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It's an interesting genre piece. Nichols has made an early Spielberg/comic book movie hybrid, only he's successfully gutted it of clunky exposition and heavy handed sentimentality. Proof that these kinds of movies can have that fat trimmed away and still successfully sell their premise and characters.
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