The Midnight Sky

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The Midnight Sky

PG-13

Released Dec 11, 2020

1h 58m

Sci-Fi

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

50%

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250 Reviews

26%

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2,500+ Ratings

A lone scientist in the Arctic races to contact a crew of astronauts returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.

Critics Consensus

The Midnight Sky lacks the dramatic heft to match its narrative scale, but its flaws are often balanced by thoughtful themes and a poignant performance from director-star George Clooney.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

Splintered as the story is between its two extreme settings, The Midnight Sky is an enjoyable Friday-night viewing experience, but misses the potential to expand on its themes of isolation and optimism in a memorable way.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 23, 2024

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

The Midnight Sky shines with Clooney's deep and abiding belief in the human condition, in compassion, in ... "redemption" is the wrong word, too Catholic. Rather, in connection, even if it is brief, even if it is seemingly one-sided.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 12, 2021

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Rex Reed

Observer

The two-hour running time seems like two years as it drags on indefinitely.

Rated: 1/4

Jan 5, 2021

Full Review

Joonatan Itkonen

Toisto.net

If you can overlook certain clichés and the hokey narrative device, THE MIDNIGHT SKY is a thoroughly engaging post-apocalyptic sci-fi film. It may not do anything particularly new with the genre, but it doesn’t need to.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 11, 2024

Full Review

Brett Doze

InSession Film

While the film isn’t a total loss based on these areas, the lack of a convincing narrative and a connection to the characters makes for a tough sit.

Rated: D

May 2, 2023

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Netflix’s The Midnight Sky doesn’t quite border on humdrum, but lands on ambivalent.

Rated: 2.5/5

Sep 9, 2022

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Derek D

Great acting. Visually stunning. Interesting storyline. Boring as fock good lord. Literally couldn’t care less about any of the characters. Found myself fast forwarding multiple times through the most unwatchable boring scenes. And I love this genre of sci-fi.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

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Audience Member

I’m truly sorry to see this film receive so many negative reviews—I’m very surprised. To me, it was a wonderful masterpiece. The performances were subtle, never overacted, and the finale was beautiful. Sadly, many people can’t grasp the depth of its spirituality and emotional richness. This film excelled in both. Thank you to George Clooney for gifting us this cinematic pearl.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

Full Review

Stephen R

Long and drawn out. Decent story line. But the worst part was the little girl in the movie. Nothing wrong with her or her acting. But she was a figment of his imagination or possibly delusional thoughts. Like when Clooney was with the guy in the plane. It showed the girl outside the plane and nowhere near Clooney. It showed her walking around and reacting to the dead pilot. They gave that character life by showing her away from the other actor. They showed her having reactions to visual stimulus that she would have never saw because she's actually not really there. Then they "reveal" she's just a delusion. Sorry, not buying it. Clooney falls through the ice in a blizzard and yet survived? He'd really been dead in like 10 minutes.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/02/25

Full Review

Abigail I

A solid story with a subtle twist that felt natural yet a bit inevitable. Clooney put on a great performance! The pacing was great and the cinematography was appropriately enhancing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/22/25

Full Review

Nick A

This film had an intriguing premise with plenty of potential but ultimately fell flat. The performances were decent, but the execution lacked impact and left enough space for me to lose interest. The plot felt disorganized and at times confusing, with sluggish pacing and overly drawn-out dialogue that left the story feeling hollow. It often seemed like two separate films awkwardly merged, resulting in a disjointed narrative. I really enjoy George Clooney, but even he couldn’t make this a worthwhile watch.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/25

Full Review

Bobby M

The film lacked proper character building. You follow two different storylines that drag on their sluggishly slow path to nowhere.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/25

Full Review

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The Midnight Sky: Final Trailer

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The Midnight Sky: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A lone scientist in the Arctic races to contact a crew of astronauts returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.

Director: George Clooney
Producer: Grant Heslov, George Clooney, Keith Redmon, Bard Dorros, Cliff Roberts
Screenwriter: Mark L. Smith
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Syndicate Entertainment, Anonymous Content, Smokehouse Pictures, Netflix, Truenorth Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Some Bloody Images|Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 11, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 23, 2020
Runtime: 1h 58m