BootDigest
Such a frustrating disappointment
AniInterview
Sorry, this movie sucks
VeteranLight
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
StuOz
A young boy has special powers and the FBI want him.Close Encounters Of The Third Kind meets ET without all the wonderfully uplifting John Williams music playing over the thing. Midnight Special caught me by surprise, I hired the DVD from the library because the DVD cover stated that the film was science fiction. At first I was reluctant to hire it out as I suspected it was yet another wham-bam-slam CGI-dominated sci-fi flick filled with smart ass characters...which seems to be the way these movies are made these days.To my surprise I was wrong. A nice retro feel here. Slow pace. Great acting. No pretty boys. A reasonable musical score. A bit of a road movie going on. I liked it. But having said all this...I can't say it is one of the great films of the 21st century. However, it is the type of science fiction flick Hollywood needs to do more often these days as compared to the last two Star Wars films (The Last Jedi and Rogue One)....Midnight Special is a masterpiece.
Michael Ledo
May contain some plot/theme spoilers.Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) Alf would be too obvious, likes to listen to the radio...in his head. He repeats what he hears thus "speaking in tongues" which appeals to "The Ranch" a Texas cult built upon Alton's spewing including classified information which draws due diligent attention. Roy (Michael Shannon), a member of the group, absconds with his own child (adopted by the pastor) with the aide of a friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) a policeman who is not a religious person. Mom (Kirsten Dunst) left the compound 2 years ago.Seems Alton has places to go, like Frank Lloyd Wright heaven, which appears near Pascagoula Mississippi?Now how this seemingly alien baby had human parents and had to live in the dark as an infant wasn't discussed in the film. This is a film which attempts to combine religion, spirituality and UFO sightings into one "real" explanation, although I liked "Altergeist" string theory better.The story was interesting even if the characters tilted to the stiff side and the dialogue mostly reeked as in the case of most serious sci-fi films where the script writer was too engrossed in the me-so-clever plot as to take a minute to create memorable characters.Guide: Could be viewed as going against the grain of religion. Minor PG swearing. No sex or nudity.
zee
I'm not entirely enthralled with this one.For one thing, I couldn't get over the idea it was an extended metaphor about death. My reading was, there are no interdimensional aliens, the kid is just dying, and this is the story of parents letting go. Yes it's couched in the science-fiction tropes, but I saw that as all symbolic. I don't think that's what the movie is about. It's about parental love, and how love sometimes means loosening your grip and letting the beloved move on, and because of the acting it works really well at that level.I could be wrong. (Or I could be right for me and no other human) anyway...lovely shots, great acting, not quite as atmospheric as his others. 6.5 stars.
krimzon
The latest work by up and coming writer/director Jeff Nichols isn't as entertaining as I would have hoped, nor is the more artsy aspect of it particularly avant-garde, but it's a well-directed and beautiful piece of filmmaking. It follows a boy who possesses extraordinary powers as he struggles to find out who - or what - he is, while being chased by both the US Government and a religious cult which has formed around him and sees him as God. I have to admit, the plot is quite linear and doesn't tend to wander off course. However, the course which Nichols has selected isn't, I believe, the most interesting, entertaining or exciting one. The story just goes and goes and goes and goes and then ends quite abruptly. The main positive points of the film were its gorgeous score and minimalist tone throughout. Little emphasis is put on dialogue, which is challenging for the cast, who hold the piece together remarkably well. Nichols' writing is excellent and it is very well shot. The ending is also very emotional and sad in a way. But the luscious ambient score is definitely one of the high points, especially in an era of identikit orchestral fanfares and high-energy strings.8 / 10 (Great). More of a film for a lazy day as opposed to a weekend with your friends, but I get the feeling that having landed Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton, Michael Shannon and Adam Driver - as well as the very talented Jaeden Lieberher - we haven't seen Nichols at his peak quite yet. But, by all means, this bodes well.
