Written by Evan Purcell, March 21, 2016, at 3:00 p.m.
Midnight Special is a movie full of questions. It’s a chase film about a father protecting his mysteriously super-powered son from both a cult and the U.S. government. It slowly builds the tension without giving you any definite answers. As the movie continues, the questions continue, the ambiguity builds, and you learn more and more about the main characters. You don’t learn facts. You learn emotions. You learn about their relationships with each other.
Towards the end of the movie, though, things change. You get some real answers to the plot. You find out about the mysterious kid. You see what the storyline had been building to the whole time… And it’s kind of lame. Some viewers will accept these answers. Some viewers (like me) won’t, but what’s so great about this film is that the plot-answers really don’t mean a lot. It’s more about the character-answers.
Much of the movie is built around the central father-son relationship, and that works like gangbusters. Michael Shannon (the father) is less bug-eyed and manic than he usually is, but he’s still pretty intense. The son is played by Jaeden Lieberher, and he’s a star on the rise. Even though the story revolves around him, he’s not a particularly active character for long stretches of the film. Still, you always feel for the little guy, and it’s easy to see the emotions stretch across his goggle-covered face. My favorite moments of the movie, though, are between Lieberher and Star Wars’ Adam Driver, who plays the main government agent. Their relationship is surprising and warm, and I loved every moment when they were together.
Director Jeff Nichols somehow built a tense chase movie with a lot of heart, and a lot of growth for each of the main characters. He brings a definite 80s vibe to the film, both aurally (a synth score that really pounds into you as the movie continues) and visually (lots of foggy, backlit scenes). It feels like a throwback in more ways than one.
Honestly, I had some difficulties writing this review. Most of my issues with this film involve some plot developments in the third act, and that’s always a hard thing to write about without giving too much away. However, I ultimately came to the realization that no matter how I felt about those moments, Midnight Special is still a strong recommendation for me. It might not stick the landing in the story department, but it absolutely nails it regarding themes, characters, and ideas. When you see this movie, you’ll know what I mean.
Like I said at the top of this review, Midnight Special is full of questions. When you’re watching it, forget about the answers, and just go along for the ride.
