Midnight Special

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

Director : Jeff Nichols

Year : 2016

Genre : Science Fiction

Rating : ***

Marking his fourth collaboration with actor Michael Shannon, the enigmatically titled 'Midnight Special' is an ambitious yet flawed science fiction drama from writer/director Jeff Nichols whose previous films 'Take Shelter' and 'Mud' still remain some of the best pictures released so far in this decade. Co-starring Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst and Adam Driver, 'Midnight Special' is a sci-fi movie that proudly hearkens back to the golden days of the genre; when ideas and themes took presidence over visual extravagance and narrative flights of fancy. But unlike Nichols' aforementioned films which primarily focused on the plot and characters, 'Midnight Special' severely lacks both cohesiveness and development - playing out like a sequel to a movie that doesn't as yet exist. However, from a purely cinematic aspect, the movie still stands out as the most audacious so far in Nichols continually impressive resume.

Having taken on a number of supporting roles in such middling fare as Jonathan Levine's raunchy Christmas comedy 'The Night Before' and Peter Sollett's ineffecive LGBT drama 'Freeheld', the formidably talented Michael Shannon now takes centre stage here as Roy, a desperate but determined father who, with the help of his loyal friend Lucas (a brilliantly brittle Joel Edgerton), must traverse the barren highways of the United States in order to return his beloved son Alton to his mother (Kirsten Dunst) - a son who just happens to come from another dimension and whose luminous eyes hold the deepest of secrets. Relentlessly pursued by both the FBI as well a maniacal religious cult who sees the mysterious boys' glossolalic utterings as divine revelations, Roy and Lucas face a race against time as Alton's increasingly strange visions direct them to a hallowed spot where his supernatural abilities will eventually reach their stunning apotheosis.

As is the case with every one of his movies, 'Midnight Special' is directed with an almost auteuristic flair by Nichols whose unique eye for microscopic detail and genre-bending ideologies always makes for an intriguing and, sometimes, unpredictable viewing experience. Buoyed by some stellar performances from the likes of Shannon and 'The Force Awakens' Adam Driver as well as some hauntingly dazzling special effects and continually beautiful cinematography by DOP Adam Stone, 'Midnight Special' had the potential to be a science-fiction movie of very, very high standards.

However, a distinct lack of character development means that it is almost impossible to care about any of the action taking place on the screen.  It continually feels as if parts of the story are missing or purposefully omitted by Nichols to confuse our senses and while that may make for an admittedly perplexing time at the cinema, it doesn't make for a very investable one. Great performances are all well and good and as I mentioned, 'Midnight Special' has plenty of them but if it is difficult to emote or empathathise with anything that is happening - especially during the eye-popping, if not bemusing finale - the majesty and wonder of the piece is somewhat lost.

Despite these flaws however, 'Midnight Special' still remains a superior if not imperfect science fiction film. It is a fiercely independantly spirited production told with high budgeted visuals and while highly publicised comparisons to the early Spielberg canon are in my opinion ultimately unfounded, it would be lapse of me not to recommend a film that purposefully goes out of it's way to do something different with a genre that has now been all but suffocated by the blockbuster multiplex fare served up by Marvel, Legendary and DC studios.