This was absolutely fantastic. Incredibly thrilling, textured, sad and powerful - and Jeff Nichols's strongest directorial outing to date. The whole thing has such a phenomenal atmosphere from the gorgeous cinematography to the thumping electronica-influenced score, and Nichols also clearly takes a less-is-more approach in terms of revealing to the audience what is actually going on. All the performances are absolutely sensational. Michael Shannon and Kirsten Dunst are both awards-worthy in my opinion and deliver incredibly powerful work here. Joel Edgerton is also great as is Adam Driver, and Jaeden Lieberher shines as the titular child in question. There are some great setpieces but this is mostly a film that is focused on character above all else, and that's part of the reason it shines. A must-see and the best film I've seen so far this year. A

close encounters + e.t. + starman + the ending of tomorrowland

That was the only part I didn't like.

This was good and really nicely mysterious/atmospheric for the most part, but the ending didn't work for me at all (despite some terrific acting by Kirsten Dunst and Michael Shannon). It kind of took a bit of the oomph out of the whole thing for me. Jeff Nichols is definitely one of the most exciting filmmakers working today, though. B-

A concerned father (Michael Shannon) spirits his unusual eight-year-old son (Jaeden Lieberher) away from a cult, the members of which interpret his supernatural abilities as a sign from God, and begins an arduous journey toward a specific location which may prove to be of cosmic import. Pursued both by members of the cult and the federal government, he is aided by the child's mother (Kirsten Dunst) and a benevolent Texas policeman (Joel Edgerton). From its nocturnal, craftily opaque first scene onward, Midnight Special is a taut and highly satisfying science-fiction drama. Via focused, lean storytelling of the show-don't-tell variety and a host of exemplary performances, the film delivers moments of genuine excitement and wonder with admirable consistency. It plays extremely well not only as an otherworldly, Spielberg-and-X-Men-indebted chase movie, but also as a poignant story of paternal devotion, neatly intertwining the two for the propulsive climax and its resonant aftermath.

A

Midnight Special didn't work at all for me. The mystery was irritating and unfulfilling, though I could probably watch the acting again, in a so-overdone-it's-amusing frame of mind. When I set out to watch The Lobster and Midnight Special this week, I would have never guessed The Lobster was going to be the more coherent and enjoyable movie. *D*

(The review in Slate is fairly astute.)

A piece of solid, engrossing, and refreshingly original sci-fi, Midnight Special is another winner for writer-director Jeff Nichols. While it's not as masterfully tense as Take Shelter nor as emotionally involving as Mud, it does a solid job of keeping the dramatic stakes high throughout most of its running time, and the decision to reveal specific details about supernaturally-gifted Alton and the adults who either protect or pursue him adds an intriguing layer of mystery whose payoff proves to be satisfying in its strange but powerful third act. Once again, Michael Shannon is a perfect fit for Nichols's low-key approach; despite his tendencies to go over-the-top with other filmmakers, he gives a performance of quiet intensity and power here.

B+

Eh... I didn't like this that much. I was intrigued in the beginning and I liked how the story was unfolding but around the middle to the end I lost interest real quickly.

This was a wonderfully crafted sci-fi/drama. I loved the director's minimal approach here and the movie just oozes atmosphere. It's refreshing to see an alien invasion film done in such a realistic and low key fashion, but that doesn't mean the action sequences can't be exciting either. For the few that there are it's very well done and could even rival some bigger budget studio films. Shannon, Edgerton, and Dunst are fantastic and the kid is good too. Adam Driver is pretty solid with what little he has to work with, but I do wish we got to see more of Sam Shepard's character.

Jeff Nichols continues to impress with his latest film and while it hasn't stuck with me as much since I saw it a couple weeks back it is still a fairly impressive sci-fi adventure with great performances all around.

Another brilliant movie from Nichols. The setup and low-key action scenes and great acting makes this almost perfect movie. Shannon does great but he somehow feels to be playing himself in all different roles. Dunst does great in the short time she gets here. Edgerton was good but did we get any explanation why he is helping the family? I wasn't impressed much with Driver but he was definitely a good addition to the cast. Jaeden does a fantastic job as the child, couldn't have got any better than this.

I didn't like the ending as much but I guess they explained earlier in the movie how it was going to end. The comparisons to Tomorrowland were very obvious. At first I somehow thought they will connect this to Gods and all so atleast this was better.

7/10 [A-]

I like the fact that "small" movies like this one still get made. What I don't like it that it seems like all the sense of originality has also evaporated from them. There's absolutely nothing new here, the story is basic and unexplored. They try to chew too much elements (religious cult, government secret operations, family relationships, etc.) but none of those were enough deeply explored. I like the atmosphere, but atmosphere alone cannot carry this. The ending is very anticlimactic. For me, this was a miss.

**1/2/***** (C-)

Midnight Special is beautifully made, there's a lot of great stuff in the film. The scenes were the "Midnight Special" track plays are pulsating, and puts you right in the midst of it. It has splendid performances from the cast all around, especially like Edgerton, he's should get more awards credit I feel. Nice to see Kirsten Dunst in another role as well and very good child acting too. Then overall it's an interesting story, but were the film fails for me is that it doesn't engage enough with it. I find the problem in that the plot is not developed enough. It all comes down to, as we're put into it directly from the first scene, the kid has to go to a certain place. Then there's other interesting elements introduced, the background of the Ranch, and the FBI's investigation, but they're underdeveloped. Instead we stay mainly with the point of view of Michael Shannon (in an excellent role too) as the father of the kid. So what the films misses out on is the pacing, it has these long pausing moments at the times, in a way to breath in the situation it might seem, but it takes the edge of and it could really do by telling more story for me. At times the film has brilliant sequences, it falls flat sometimes too, although always remaining a certain quality to it, the final product misses something to put in the top category. It was my first Jeff Nichols film, and surely I'm more interested to check out some of his other work too now.

B+

Midnight Special

It begins like an artistic, indie chase thriller, with its twilight illumination, somber mood, and serious, beautiful score, and then "MIDNIGHT SPECIAL" shows on the screen, and it is excellent. When Midnight Special focuses on Shannon, Edgerton, and the boy, it is a superb film, which thankfully it is for most of its run time - I don't necessarily need to know why they're being chased; the mystery is what loads the film with intrigue - but when Adam Driver, the "Federal Government", and members of "The Ranch" (besides the two sent to retrieve Alton) get involved, it ever so slightly loses an edge, and while their scenes are supposed to add droplets of information to the viewer, they never really add that much, so to concentrate on them at all gave me slight displeasure. Thematically, the film very much appeals; a father protecting his son. Alton is obviously gifted, but the mystery surrounding not only his powers, but each group's interest in him, both assists and hinders the film - it is either full disclosure or none - and Nichols provides an uncomfortable middle-ground, which proves not enough or too much, with a conclusion that neither satisfies my sci-fi curiosity nor rids me of my thirst for mature action. It is a cool, lean, cross-country in-pursuit thriller, shot with grace and competently carried by its leads, but perhaps Nichols should have aimed his attention at cultivating the hunt instead of its sci-fi ambiguity, which regrettably leads to a deflating finale. Still, though, a rare and satisfying - albeit teen-aimed - chase thriller.

B+

I feel a bit bad about my grade. I am usually one that allows score, cinematography, and atmosphere (which were all superb) to take over. It is a stylish thriller, and I enjoyed watching it very much. It is one of the better B+ films this year, and while in many ways I prefer it to Deadpool (my only A- film), it does not fully take advantage of the type of film it should be, whereas Deadpool does. When looking at my yearly list, it is easy to sometimes want to change grades and such, but I feel it is important to keep the grade given until re-watched. It is so easy, especially after watching a film such as Midnight Special (which is a film more up my alley than a superhero film), to regard Deadpool as silly entertainment and thus lower its score. But the two films are not competing on the same continent, let alone pitch.

Just in case anyone wants a refresher. Such a brilliant theme tune.

Glad you enjoyed it. And, yes, the score is awesome. The moment when Joel Edgerton puts on the night-vision goggles and cuts the headlights sends chills down my spine. It is just so bad-ass and cinematic in a Michael Mann type of way.

Yep, it is very cool. I was very impressed with the opening.

The first half hour was very good. Strong tension with great music and visuals. The story becomes boring afterwards though, and the sci fi aspect never becomes interesting.

Meh