‘Midnight Special’ is one of these films that are flying under the radar during the off movie season and under the shadow of some of the bigger budget movies like ‘Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice”. Truthfully, the only reason it came on my radar, because it has been generating some good critical buzz and I am a great admirer of Director Jeff Nichols. I’m having a hard time pigeon-holing this film into a particular genre. At its’ core it is a ‘father and son on the run’ film, but that is not enough to describe it. It has elements of science fiction, horror, even to a lesser extent a family movie despite its’ ‘R’ rating. I could very well have seen the studios try to make this blockbuster in scope, but despite the high tension and deep bass music this is a quiet film. The movie derives its’ purpose from the simplicity of it even though the context is immense.
The story starts with father and son Roy and Alton (Michael Shannon and Jaeden Leiberher respectively) escaping a Texas cult along with Roy’s State trooper childhood friend, Lucas. We don’t know exactly why they are running at first, but we know that Alton is different. After the Government raids the compound and starts interviewing the cult members about Alton, we realize how truly different Alton truly is. Special Agent Sevier (‘Star Wars’ Adam Driver) leads the interview and is trying to find the answer as to why the compound leader Calvin Meyer’s (Sam Shepard) sermons contain coded government messages of the highest security. Calvin’s answer is that Alton speaks to him in tongues and they’ve had to keep him locked away for everyone’s safety. That is locked away until Friday March 05, which is the cult’s Doomsday prophecy.
The majority of this movie is Roy, Lucas, and Alton on the run through the highways and motels of Texas. We know that Alton is different, but he seems a normal kid in every respect even if he does seem wise beyond his years. Normal that is, until vast amounts of light and energy manifest itself inside him. Each episode leaves him weaker. No matter what terror the Roy feels as his son seems to transform, his love and purpose is steadfast. Alton knows he has to be somewhere precise on March 05 and Roy will let nothing stop him from getting there. Even if he doesn’t know exactly where that is.
The crux of the movie revolves around how the adults adapt to know that something beyond human comprehension is manifesting itself in this boy. Roy follows his purpose with the devotion of a cult follower that he is and no one does intensity better than Michael Shannon. Lucas is more loyal to his childhood friend Roy than he is to the calling, but as he sees the powers that Alton begins to manifest, he begins to realize the necessity of the journey.
The film is small and relatively quiet, which I often enjoy, but too much so for the scope of what this film was trying to capture. It’s like ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ cloaked in a father and son on the run movie. Jeff Nichols does an excellent job at creating a world of wonderment and fear, but overall there is a feeling that the payoff at the end was unsatisfying. Where ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ left us breathless, this one left us with unresolved questions. Not that I need everything tied up in a neat bow, but one needs to feel satisfied at the end and be glad that they went on this journey. I was not. I still respect the film and the film making skill of Jeff Nichols, but this film is one only a film enthusiast would appreciate.
I recommend this film, but only give it ** 1/2 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment