Midnight Special (film)

Midnight Special
File:Midnight Special (film) poster.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jeff Nichols
Produced by	Sarah Green Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
Written by	Jeff Nichols
Starring	Michael Shannon Joel Edgerton Kirsten Dunst Adam Driver Jaeden Lieberher Sam Shepard
Music by	David Wingo
Cinematography	Adam Stone
Edited by	Julie Monroe
Production company	Faliro House Productions Tri-State Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	February 12, 2016 (2016-02-12) (Berlin) March 18, 2016 (2016-03-18) (United States)
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$18 million
Box office	$6.2 million

Midnight Special is a 2016 American science fiction-drama film written and directed by Jeff Nichols, and produced by Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. The film stars Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, and Jaeden Lieberher. The film is Nichols' fourth full-length film and his first studio production. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.

The film revolves around Roy and his biological son, Alton Meyer, escaping federal and local officers, after discovering that Alton has special powers.

The film began a theatrical release on March 18, 2016 by Warner Bros. Pictures, expanding wider in subsequent weeks. It has received generally favorable reviews from critics.

Plot

Roy (Michael Shannon) has fled a religious cult in rural Texas with his eight-year-old son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), who possesses otherworldly powers. An Amber Alert is issued for the child, leading Roy and his accomplice and long-lost childhood friend, state trooper Lucas (Joel Edgerton), to help bring the boy to an undisclosed location on a specific date, during which a celestial and possibly world-changing event may occur.

While driving through the back country late at night, the three are involved in a car accident. They seek shelter with Elden (David Jensen), a former member of the religious cult. Meanwhile, the FBI investigates the cult in their search for Alton; Paul Sevier (Adam Driver) leads interviews with members who proclaim Alton's supernatural abilities, explaining that the boy had to live on a nocturnal sleeping schedule and was unable to face daylight. Apparently, the church's sermons and their dates, based on prophecies made by Alton, are encoded with secret government information communicated by satellite.

Roy and Lucas leave Elden's with Alton and stop at a gas station, where Alton uses his powers to pull a satellite from space, which ignites like meteors as it rains down on the area. They flee and meet Sarah (Kirsten Dunst), Alton's mother, who has been excommunicated from the cult and has not seen her son in two years. While on the road, Alton senses the air patrol searching for him, and he urges them to stop. He runs into the woods, followed by Roy. They hide in a cave while Sarah and Lucas hide at a motel. Alton, in a weakened state—as a result of violent fits in which his eyes emit beams of light—tells Roy he needs to be in the sunlight. They watch the sunrise together. The earth begins to shake, and a dome of light surrounds them.

They arrive at the motel. Alton is inexplicably reinvigorated by the sunlight. He explains that he has discovered where his abilities originate: there is another plane existing above Earth's, and he originates from there. Sarah tells Roy that she believes it may be their last day with their son, as the next day is the date of the cataclysmic event which Alton has prophesied. As the four attempt to leave the motel the next morning, they are ambushed by two henchmen from the cult (Bill Camp and Scott Haze), who kidnap Alton. Their car, in turn, is ambushed by the FBI, and Alton is flown to an FBI facility.

Alton is questioned by Sevier, and Alton exhibits supernatural powers to him. Alton convinces Sevier that he is of another world, and Sevier agrees to bring him to his parents. They meet in a remote location, and Lucas gives handcuffs to Sevier, who cuffs himself so as to make it appear that he was forced to bring Alton to them. Roy, Lucas, and Sarah plan to take Alton to the undisclosed location in Florida he has designated. Driving through a military road barricade, they arrive at a remote location in the woods, and Sarah and Alton flee from the car; Roy and Lucas drive away and are chased by military vehicles.

Alton and Sarah reach the edge of an everglade, where the ground begins to shake and an explosion of light encompasses most of the southeastern corner of the United States. Buildings and otherworldly architecture appear in the sky, exposing the aforementioned other dimension. Sarah watches as others like Alton emerge from the woods as beams of light surround him. As Roy and Lucas continue to flee in the car, they also witness the otherworldly architecture. Suddenly, another explosion occurs, and Alton and the otherworldly plane disappear before Sarah's eyes.

Roy and Lucas are taken into custody. Lucas is interviewed by the FBI. He tells them the exact story of what happened, but they are unsatisfied. Sevier then enters to interview him, the other FBI members unknowing of his helping them fulfill Alton's mission. Sarah cuts and dyes her hair to conceal her identity. The film ends with Roy, incarcerated by the FBI, wearing an electroencephalography device. His eyes briefly glow a faint light.

Cast

• Michael Shannon as Roy Tomlin
• Joel Edgerton as Lucas
• Kirsten Dunst as Sarah Tomlin
• Adam Driver as Paul Sevier
• Sam Shepard as Calvin Meyer
• Jaeden Lieberher as Alton
• Paul Sparks as Agent Miller
• Nathan Brimmer as an FBI agent
• Scott Haze as Levi
• James DuMont as the base commander
• Billy Slaughter as Agent Cole
• Sean Bridgers as Fredrick

Production

Principal photography commenced on January 20, 2014 and took place for 40 days in New Orleans, wrapping on March 1, 2014. The film was produced by Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, with Glen Basner and Christos V. Konstantakopoulos as executive producers.

Midnight Special is backed and primarily distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, with UK distribution handled by Entertainment One. Warner Bros initially set the film for a November 25, 2015 release, but in July 2015 moved the date back to March 18, 2016.

Reception

Midnight Special has received generally favorable reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 83% 'Certified Fresh' rating, based on 181 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "Midnight Special's intriguing mysteries may not resolve themselves to every viewer's liking, but the journey is ambitious, entertaining, and terrifically acted." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 76 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

In a very positive review, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club described the "Spielberg-esque" sci-fi chase film as "more of a genre piece than anything Nichols has done, carried by its steady momentum and its engrossing sense of mystery." He praised Special for Nichols' visual style and an "embarrassment of wonderful performances".

Others, however, were less enthusiastic. Alonso Duralde, writing for The Wrap, felt that it was hurt by it's lackluster third act, stating: "Midnight Special goes off its own narrative cliff, capping a compelling story with a third-act resolution so misguided that’s it’s the dramatic equivalent of punching the gas and plunging into the abyss." Likewise, Benjamin Lee, writing for The Guardian, felt that Nichols was "making a concerted effort to stake his claim as a hit-maker, a director who can appeal to a wide audience with a timeless adventure. He’s even talked about how it’s essentially a homage to both E.T. and Close Encounters. Sadly, the Spielbergian magic that Nichols so desperately wants to recreate is almost entirely absent from the end product and without it, there’s something disappointingly lifeless instead."

External links

• Midnight Special at IMDb
• Midnight Special on Twitter