Review – Midnight Special

I’ll admit, I have a slight soft spot for Jeff Nichols.  My first year at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2011, his film, Take Shelter, was the first film that I saw at the festival that blew me away and set the standard for what a good Sundance movie was and still is for me.  From that point on, I’ve loved him as a filmmaker.  He has elevated his talents and grown as a writer and director, and in 2013, made one of the best coming of age films of the decade, Mud (2013).  Needless to say, I was ecstatic about his latest film, Midnight Special.  So much so, in fact, it landed at number six on my Most Anticipated Movies of 2016 ahead of big name titles like The Jungle Book and Captain America: Civil War.

Midnight Special earned its place.  This is a smart, layered, suspenseful, moving science fiction film that will have you on edge until the very end.

Midnight Special is one of those movies that’s better to go in with the least amount of information possible.  The trailers have done a great job hiding what the movie is actually about and I am going to keep that going.  Just know that two men (Michael Shannon and Joel Edgerton) are trying to protect a boy with special abilities (Jaeden Lieberher) from the government.  There is so much more than that, but that’s all you’re getting.

This is a great cast filled with some of the most under appreciated actors working today.  Michael Shannon continues to prove his greatness as a man who cares deeply for the boy and will do anything to keep him safe.  It’s a tender, intense performance and one of Shannon’s best.  Joel Edgerton play’s Shannon’s friend and gives a restrained, intimidating performance.  He doesn’t exactly know what’s going on and neither do we.  What makes Edgerton so great is how he represents the audience and makes us feel more emotion through out.  As the story unfolds, Edgerton begins to learn more about the situation he is in and so do we.  It’s a combination of great filmmaking and great acting.  Lieberher is the perfect amount of sweet and creepy, Kirsten Dunst is great as the boys mother, and we get solid work from Adam Driver, Paul Sparks, and Nichols’ regular Sam Shepard.

This is Nichols finest work as a director and writer.  What makes this movie so good is that Nichols doesn’t spoon feed us anything.  We are thrown into the action right away and we have to figure out the story as the movie goes along.  We peel back each layer trying to solve the mysteries of the film until we reach the climax, which is extraordinary.  There were a lot of ways the ending could have failed, but under the mastery of Nichols, it succeeds in every way.  It was thrilling, emotional, shocking, and awe-inspiring.  With dazzling special effects, stunning cinematography, and a haunting score, this is a technically masterful film.  The story is a perfect mix of classic science fiction and family drama, which gives the film a heart you wouldn’t expect.

Midnight Special is as good as movies get.  It’s a smart, thrilling , heart-racing film with a spectacular cast and great direction.  Jeff Nichols has now officially cemented himself as one of the best directors working today and Midnight Special may be his best film yet.

MY RATING – 4/4

Did you see Midnight Special?  What did you think?  What is your favorite Jeff Nichols movie?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix or on Facebook at Kevflix.