If you are not familiar with the name Jeff Nichols, you should be. He is one of the most exciting young filmmakers working today. His 3 previous movies: Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, and Mud are all fantastic. In a time when it seems Hollywood force feeds us and has every movie explained to the tee, Nichols’ goes in the opposite direction with Midnight Special. The film opens with Alton a young boy accompanied by his father Roy (Michael Shannon) and his father’s friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton). There is something special about Alton, that is evident right away. They are on the run from a religious cult that look at Alton as a chosen one of sorts. However they are not the only ones trying to find Alton. The Us government wants to find the child as well to question him on how he is able to learn top secret information. This chase sees Alton’s group driving at high speeds with the lights of using night vision to see. They must meetup with Alton’s mother (Kirsten Dunst) before ultimately making it to a set destination Alton has the coordinates to. What will happen there? – no one is really sure. There are clearly themes of parents caring for their children no matter the cost….themes of faith…..and my favorite theme: that of the fantastic. Jeff Nichols went for it and I applaud his effort. The ending of this film may confuse and/or divide movie goers. I myself found it awe inspiring. With all of Nichols’ films you can expect awesome cinematography and a beautiful score. The score supplied by David Wingo is extremely moving especially in the final 3rd act of the film. I am a fan of Midnight Special and think I will like it more when I see it a 2nd time.
Ry’s grade:
3 Jaws out of 4!
