Midnight Special

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Midnight Special

PG-13

Released Apr 8, 2016

1h 51m

Sci-Fi

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

239 Reviews

67%

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10,000+ Ratings

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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Critics Consensus

Midnight Special's intriguing mysteries may not resolve themselves to every viewer's liking, but the journey is ambitious, entertaining, and terrifically acted.

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

The heavens keep splitting to deliver forked tinsel masquerading as sci-fi lightning.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 28, 2016

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Nichols does so many things so well, and all at once, that it sort of takes your breath away.

Nov 17, 2016

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

There is an adrenaline-fueled elasticity to events that is as smooth as it is exhilarating, all of it given extra potency thanks to the emotional complexities driving things to their conclusion.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 11, 2016

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JD Duran

InSession Film

As an allegory for parental sacrifice, words cannot begin to describe my experience with this film. Midnight Special moved me in ways that very few films ever have.

Aug 8, 2024

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jeff Nichols, the writer and director, keeps [a] sense of mystery throughout Midnight Special, always raising more questions with each answer.

Oct 6, 2023

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Jordan Brooks

Vague Visages

It has an emotional core compelling enough to draw in massive crowds of cinemagoers, a sci-fi grandeur showy enough to pull in the Marvel/DC crowd and a visual acuity worthy of the interest of even the most hardened cinephiles.

Aug 1, 2023

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A J

Brilliant acting in the this sci-fi meets No Country for Old Men. Loved it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/24

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Sharang L

Just enough tension and emotion to keep you hooked. And an all-star cast doesn't hurt.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/11/24

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Dave B

A series of cliches that have been done before with considerably more panache, more engaging characters and better acting (Firestarter, Stranger Things, Hanna, Raising Dion, Looper just to name a few of the recent ones). Plot: Child with miraculous powers pursued by The Gub'mint and (to add some variety) a few religious fruitcakes. The religious types make a few inconsequential cameo appearances before they seem to lose interest and wander off, leaving the standard chased-by-the-Deep State action sequences to get out of the way before the movie grinds to a halt. Performances were universally awful. All the protagonists just looked bored & irritated, as if they were stuck in a laundromat on Sunday afternoon and their phone had gone flat. You had no idea of any of their motivations from the outset, and an hour + later you just didn't care. They seemed to think what they were doing was important enough to shoot people but that was never explained, even in the end. Frankly, I am shocked that the consensus score is as high as it is.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/25/24

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David H

I'm a sucker for Jeff Nichols films and this didn't disappoint me. Great film. I'd recommend it those that like non fantastical, down to earth Sci Fi movies.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/28/24

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Alec C

Sometimes, what we think we know about the universe has a habit of biting us in the back! On the run from the government and a cult, a father and his son travel across the American frontier as the boy begins to exhibit powers that boggle the mind, implying that the boy is not from this earth. What makes it such an intriguing story is that we do not fully understand what this alien power is, making it a mystery that leaves us guessing!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

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Jack B

Okay, I had to edit this one and give a higher rating than I did initially. I'm a sucker for Sci-Fi and this counts.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/29/24

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Jeff Nichols

Director

Michael Shannon

Roy

Joel Edgerton

Lucas

Kirsten Dunst

Sarah

Jaeden Martell

Alton

Adam Driver

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Midnight Special: International Trailer 1

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Midnight Special: Trailer 2

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Midnight Special: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Jeff Nichols
Producer: Sarah Green, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
Screenwriter: Jeff Nichols
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Tri-State Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Some Violence|Action)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 8, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.7M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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