There are tons of reasons why I wanted to see Midnight Special ranging from the cast, the director, and the premise shown in the trailer. Add in that most of the podcasts I listen to have spoken highly about the film and I had plenty of motivation to check this out. Alas, it wasn’t in my local theaters, but luck would have it that I was in Winter Park for the film festival and the theater had it, and I’d say the film is Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy.
Midnight Special Summary
Roy (Michael Shannon) is a father, his son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), and his friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) are on the run from the federal government and a cult that are all drawn to Alton’s strange powers.
The film features Shannon, Lieberher, Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, and Adam Driver. I believe the standout of the film was Edgerton. His performance as Shannon’s sidekick Lucas was really interesting. Lucas was the most fleshed out by the various choices and stances he takes throughout the film. I was intrigued by who he was and wondering what his deal was and as it was revealed I was more impressed with the character. That’s not to say that Shannon and Lieberher weren’t compelling, but Lucas definitely felt a bit more developed and the link for the audience to connect to the story. He was an outsider who was learning about Alton the same as the audience.
Jeff Nichols fourth feature, and the second one I’ve seen so far, is a very original and interesting story. The trailer depicts that Alton has some kind of power, but is careful to leave out what exactly those powers are or what they mean to the story. Just that the government thinks he is dangerous and you quickly find that he has a group of people who basically worship him. How the film plays out is very interesting and I think ended the correct way with just enough information and still an air of mystery. Also, I think Jeff Nichols is fantastic at casting young actors. In this film and in Mud the children cast are excellent actors.
I definitely want to watch this one again next year. I really liked the film, but I could see people being mixed on it. There is a lot of ambiguity in the finale and that could leave some wanting. However, the journey of the film is a good one and I think most people will enjoy it.
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