Midnight Special is a film I have been waiting to see since I saw the first trailer late last year. It was originally intended to come out on March 18th and my local major theater even had a poster for the film up. Then March 18th came with no sign of showtimes anywhere near me. Imagine how shocked and saddened I was to realize that Warner Bros, for whatever baffling reason, had made Midnight Special into a limited release film. WHY?! After seeing the film twice now in two days I am at a total loss as to why they felt this little big film couldn't have made at least a nice, if modest, gross from the mainstream audience. Certainly it could have covered its small $18 million price tag. It's got a killer sci-fi/fantasy premise and a mouth-wateringly resplendent cast including, but not limited to, Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, and Adam Driver. Heck, Adam Driver's presence alone could have been milked from the good will rolling off of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (a film that yours truly adores by the way if you see my review on this Blog of mine as well as my Top 7 list for 2015 where it came in #1) where he played the unhinged villain Kylo Ren. Not to mention that writer/director Jeff Nichols' last two films, 2011's Take Shelter (which also starred Michael Shannon) and 2013's Mud (which starred Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon), both received widespread acclaim despite their limited theatrical engagements. Midnight Special deserves far better than what Warner Bros has chosen to bestow upon it. It really should have been given the chance to be a major Spring 2016 release. Oh well. That didn't happen and it's really no use crying about it now because the simple fact is that I, at last, got to see it with my own eyes on a big screen at my local art-house theater here in Columbia, South Carolina known fondly as The Nick. Or Nickelodeon to be more precise. They started showing this film on the 6th and will continue to show it every afternoon and evening up through Thursday the 12th. I caught it Saturday and Sunday night in a row. After my first taste I just had to go back for more. It absolutely required a second viewing to truly settle in. It was well worth it. I promise not to spoil anything major, or otherwise significant, in this review as this film is best experienced with as little foreknowledge as possible. Let us dive right in shall we? Starting things off with the necessary summation of the plot. I stand by my "no spoilers" promise.
Midnight Special tells us the story of a most unusual eight year old boy named Alton Meyer (an incredible young find named Jaeden Lieberher) who, along with his father Roy Tomlin (Michael Shannon bringing full conviction to his part) and Roy's childhood best friend Lucas (a very warm and appealing Joel Edgerton), is on the run from both the U.S. Government, who believe that certain special abilities Alton possesses make him a weapon that they need to contain and control, and a madly determined religious cult who believe that Alton is their salvation from coming judgment. The Government is represented for us by two key characters in a young NSA communications specialist named Paul Sevier, played with surprising warmth and good humor by Adam Driver, and FBI Agent Miller played with straight commitment by Paul Sparks. The religious cult, known as the Ranch, is represented primarily by the great character actor Sam Shepard (who has also worked with director Jeff Nichols before on Mud) as the head of the cult named Tom Blankenship who preaches sermons using "scripture" that he claims was spoken to them by Alton. There are also two henchmen played by Bill Camp and Scott Haze who Blankenship sends after Alton to return him to the Ranch in time for a certain date that has been set by Alton on which the cult believes they will be saved from a cataclysmic event as long as Alton is with them. Alton's mother Sarah, played by a still beautiful Kirsten Dunst (just where has she been lately?), also joins Roy and Lucas in their attempt to keep Alton out of the hands of those pursuing him and help him reach his ultimate destiny which might just be more life altering and world shattering for all involved than any of them can possibly imagine. More than this I will not reveal because Midnight Special is a beautiful slice of fantastical mystery wrapped in an enigma that just has to be seen to be fully appreciated.
I mentioned the absolute magnificence of the cast and they are the ones who primarily take this beautiful and beautifully "out there" story and make it palatable through the sheer strength of their convictions. These guys are fully invested in their roles and it pays off in spades. Michael Shannon is simply spot on as Roy Tomlin, who knows his son is meant for much greater things than either the Ranch or the Government have in store and is determined to help his son reach that potential. Shannon has a face that can be a little off putting at times, but Roy's love for and devotion to his son always shines through and keeps you totally invested in his journey. A scene where Alton tells Roy that he no longer has to worry about him, and Roy's response is so achingly sincere and full of truth that I'm sure parents everywhere will understand, is an emotional punch in the gut and beautifully and tenderly delivered. As Lucas, a friend of Roy's from childhood before the two drifted apart, but who has now come back into Roy's life to aid him in getting Alton to safety, Joel Edgerton continues to show why he is one of the most well respected actors of this generation. Young Jaeden Lieberher gives a startlingly magnificent performance as the beleaguered Alton Meyer. I said in my Jake Lloyd defense rant that child acting has to be one of the most dangerous professions in the world where children are placed center stage in front of an audience full of people who are more than ready and willing to tear into them and take them down. Jaeden is proof positive though that with the right director at the helm great things are possible and it can't be an easy thing for a child so young to play a character like this who must, by his very nature, be wiser than his years would suggest and grapple with the ever increasing emotional stakes of the story. Jaeden pulls it all off without a hitch and that is as much a testament to Jeff Nichols' direction as to Jaeden's natural talent. Kirsten Dunst is gripping and totally believable as Sarah Tomlin, Alton's birth mother, who was forced away from her son by the Ranch, but still retains a palpable connection with her son and a determined resolve to aid him in reaching his goal. Dunst is on fire here in what is arguably one of the best roles she has had in years. As NSA communications expert Paul Sevier, Adam Driver is given the chance to be warm and ingratiating as well as dryly and deliciously funny when the need for good humor arises. Driver's part is not the biggest, but he makes his every scene more than worth it. I am really looking forward to more from this guy. Sam Shepard is totally believable as the smarmy head of a crazy cult even if his part is incredibly limited. He makes the most of what he has though and remains a class act all the way. Paul Sparks as FBI Agent Miller oozes detached agency professionalism and Bill Camp and Scott Haze, particularly Camp, are chilling if little seen as two cult members tasked with doing unthinkable things to bring Alton back into the fold. The whole cast gives their all, big part or small, and Midnight Special is all the better for their commitment.
Technically the film is above reproach. Jeff Nichols' direction is crisp, clean, and totally confident. The cinematography by Nichols regular Adam Stone is both gorgeous and understated in equal measure. The production design by another Nichols protege, Chad Keith, is truly timeless and that is something I do have to praise here. Few films come along anymore that won't be dated in some way just a few years, or less, after their initial release, but Midnight Special, while set in the modern day, has been decidedly and painstakingly designed to achieve a true timeless feel that will allow the film to age with grace and dignity. Fifty years from now, or even beyond that, people will watch this movie and my eyes caught nothing that would allow them to pinpoint the era in which it was made unless they already know it was a 2016 release to begin with. Heck, if I didn't know any better I would have said this film was made in the 80's or 90's. For my generation, and every one after it, Midnight Special is more than able to become a true timeless classic. This is simply a staggering achievement and total kudos go to Nichols and his crew for pulling it off. Razzle-dazzle visual effects are limited and placed carefully throughout the lean and tight 111 minute runtime, but they are of high caliber and quality when they appear. Nichols knows how to make his small budgets stretch for all the bang he can get. The editing by Julie Monroe, who worked with Nichols on Mud, keeps the pace moving and the atmosphere tense, but also allows for moments of genuine wonder. Last, but by no means least, the beautifully pulsating electronic score by yet another Nichols stalwart, David Wingo, is sublime. Flitting between dark and tense and bright and hopeful Wingo's compositions are worthy of major awards recognition. Midnight Special could scarcely be more technically appealing than it is. It is a true triumph of simple and determined design utilized for maximum efficiency and impact.
There are flaws in every movie, this is the reality of human made creations, and Midnight Special has a few. Namely a couple of plot threads that kind of vanish immediately after being introduced and aren't given any payoff, but these flaws are so small when stacked against everything the film gets right I just cannot bring myself to dock it any in my final rating. Midnight Special is a film imbued with such love and commitment by its makers that it radiates out of the screen and grabs hold of the viewer and holds him/her enthralled. I absolutely love Midnight Special, if I could find a way to see it again (and quite possibly again after that) I would, and I stand by my point that it deserves a far better showing than it has received. I am truly bewildered by the decision to keep this film in limited release while garbage like Green Room gets thousands of screens to itself across the USA. Hey Warner Bros! Care to explain your thinking here? Or confirm if you are even thinking at all? If you live in the Columbia area, or anywhere in driving distance of it, and if you are even the tiniest bit intrigued and interested in seeing a remarkably heartfelt and engrossing sci-fi/fantasy in the vein of the Amblin days of yore, but also more than that, then get on over to the Nickelodeon Theater at 1607 Main Street and catch Midnight Special before its final showing at 5:30 on Thursday evening, May 12th. If you share a love for this kind of film with me I feel safe in saying you won't be disappointed.
5/5
Review by Eric Spearman
