Indie Gems: Midnight Special

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He's more important

Roy (Michael Shannon) has left a cult with his son, Alden (Jaeden Lieberher) who they worshiped. Alden has special powers, ones that tell him that he needs to be at a certain place on a certain date for an unknown reason. He's aided by his childhood friend Lucas (Joel Egerton) and his assumed ex wife, Sarah. (Kirsten Dunst) But he has not only the FBI hot on their trail, but an NSA agent, Sevier (Adam Driver) who wants to know why Alden is able to figure out top secret government codes.

My road to this film has been long. It premiered at Sundance two years ago to rave reviews, I book marked it, waited for it's release date that year...then it got pushed back....then it was pushed back again. Finally, it got a limited theatrical release. My own art house theatre got it...for 6 days only. It felt like everything was preventing me to see this movie. But when I watched it, it immediately made all of that waiting work it.

Midnight Special is another spectacular work from director Jeff Nichols. It may even be my favorite of his. This is his first studio film (Warner Brothers Independent) so they gave him a bit of a budget to work with. The less you know about this film, the better it works. My husband hadn't even seen a preview of it prior, I just sold him on "Jeff Nichols and Michael Shannon" and he was pleasantly surprised throughout. 

The acting in the film is wonderful, people like Shannon, Dunst, Edgerton and Driver always turn out fine performances. Though I wish Driver had been in it a bit more. Lieberher was also very good and I hope he gets more roles from this.

Midnight Special did leave me with a few questions, but they're the intriguing kind. The kind that feel okay when you wonder about a film after you've watched it. 

Grade: A

Watched on: Netflix DVD

Memorable Quote: "I believe you." - Lucas (Joel Egerton)

Comments

  1. MyerlaAugust 12, 2016 at 6:54 AM

    I wanted to check this out again as I found it quite slow in a fidgety sense, I found myself getting inpatient with it.

    Still, I appreciate the film and the final act is mesmerizing...I'm planning to give it another go.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 12, 2016 at 10:33 AM

      Have you seen any of the other films by Jeff Nichols? They all had similiar builds to me. I love them.

      Delete
    2. MyerlaAugust 12, 2016 at 1:28 PM

      I've seen Mud and Take Shelter, both of which I really liked.

      Delete
  2. Matthew St.ClairAugust 12, 2016 at 7:55 AM

    I loved this movie. It really brought me back to the glory days of science fiction with films like E.T.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 12, 2016 at 10:32 AM

      Yes! It was a great balance. It reminded me of that as well.

      Delete
  3. UnknownAugust 12, 2016 at 8:53 AM

    I wanted more Driver, too! But really glad you loved this, I can't wait to see it again now it's finally out on DVD here :)
    - Allie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 12, 2016 at 10:32 AM

      I wish I could've seen it in theaters, I would've gladly thrown my money at this film. lol

      Delete
  4. Candice FrederickAugust 12, 2016 at 11:24 AM

    i NEED to see this. so glad you loved it

    ReplyDelete
  5. m.brownAugust 12, 2016 at 4:42 PM

    Well, I'm pretty sure I'm going to rent this tonight.

    Or now. (f--king Olympics are killing my movie watching!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 13, 2016 at 7:19 AM

      Mine too! I've had Elvis & Nixon and The Driftless Area at my house for over a week, but the Olympics keep distracting me. lol

      Delete
  6. KhalidAugust 12, 2016 at 5:54 PM

    Nice review! Wish I liked this as much as you, the slow-pacing and Sci-fi elements of the film did not sit very well with me, athough I did admire the performances.
    But I think it pales in comparison to Nichols recent work like Mud and Take Shelter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 13, 2016 at 7:19 AM

      Aww, I'm sorry you didn't like it more. I'm glad the acting worked for you at least.

      Delete
  7. thevoid99August 12, 2016 at 6:59 PM

    I have to say that Nichols is at this point is batting 1000 right now. It's currently my 2nd favorite film of the year with Love & Friendship in first.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 13, 2016 at 7:18 AM

      I can't wait to see what he does with Loving later this year.

      Delete
  8. Kevin PowersAugust 13, 2016 at 8:43 AM

    Great review! I agree on all points. Jeff Nichols is such an impressive talent. I can't wait for Loving.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 16, 2016 at 8:32 AM

      Thank you! Neither can I. That looks amazing as well.

      Delete
  9. KatyAugust 13, 2016 at 3:56 PM

    Nice review! A lot of great reviews have surrounded this one. Nichols rarely seems to disappoint.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 16, 2016 at 8:31 AM

      I'm not sure if he can disappoint? I haven't see it yet. lol

      Delete
  10. PrudenceAugust 14, 2016 at 3:59 AM

    I haven't meet a Jeff Nichols movie that I didn't like! Midnight Special is a solid sci-fi film! But Take Shelter still remains as my favorite from Mr. Nichols.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 16, 2016 at 8:31 AM

      Take Shelter is my favorite as well, but this one is close behind. I can't wait to see Loving this year.

      Delete
  11. CourtneyAugust 15, 2016 at 10:54 AM

    I'm totally glad to see Kiki in more roles lately, and she was brief, but great in this! Definitely one of the better, less talked about, movies of this year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 16, 2016 at 8:31 AM

      I've loved her since I was a tween, I'm always happy to see her in films. Agreed that she was great in her small part.

      Delete
  12. keith71_98August 15, 2016 at 11:28 AM

    An A? Woo Hoo! STILL my favorite film of the year so far. Held up stunningly well a second time. Such a big fan of the story, the characters, and Nichols' near perfect execution. Glad to hear you liked it too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 16, 2016 at 8:30 AM

      So am I! I'd love to see this again, I'll probably buy it.

      Delete
  13. AnonymousAugust 16, 2016 at 10:52 AM

    I was thrown off by a few red herrings in the plot but kind of thought they added to the fun of discovery. Really enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. BirgitAugust 17, 2016 at 1:58 PM

    I have not heard of this film but sounds intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 17, 2016 at 2:48 PM

      It's wonderful, like all of Jeff Nichols' other films.

      Delete
  15. Tanner JonesAugust 26, 2016 at 10:57 AM

    I really thought this one would impress me more, but I never felt invested, at all. But, silver linings--Edgerton actually impressed me (which is rare), Lieberher is wonderful (St. Vincent was extremely under appreciated), and Michael Shannon keeps impressing me more and more.

    ReplyDelete

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