Midnight Special

 

 Midnight Special is a 2016 drama and Sci-fi movie written and directed by Jeff Nichols.  I have wanted to see this movie since I first saw the trailer.  I think that was in 2015 or 2016, I don’t really remember.  It just watched and thought this might be my kind of movie.  Like with most movies that I watch that aren’t Star Wars or Marvel it takes me some time to finally get to them.  After four years I finally got to Midnight Special last night. 

 

When social distancing began, I decided that I was going to catch up on all the movies I had wanted to see.  I figured it is 2020 and I can’t go anywhere so why not, right.  Little did I know that I was going down a rabbit hole.  What started off as selecting a few Sci-fi movies to start off became a quest of sorts to watch as much Sci-fi I could.  Along the quest I came to realize that there was a lot of “Classic” Sci-fi that I had not seen.  So, I pivoted and here we are me absorbing as much Sci-fi classics as I can in my free time.  I came up with a list of 80 movies that were considered top 100 Sci-fi films.  With Midnight Special it is first time the classic list as I have come to call it and what I really wanted to watch crossed over.  Yesterday was really the first time I had fun doing my project again.  Watching Invasion of Triffids, Rollerball, and Midnight Special. 

 

Midnight Special did something to me that only a few movies really have the power to do.  It made me dream and it made me dream about situations and scenarios that are touched on in the movie.  I can’t really explain my dream without giving away spoilers and I won’t do that.  Even though the story of my dream and the story of the movie only have a few passing themes, I don’t want to give anything away.  It also had me going to bed thinking about the movie and the actors in it.  For me Midnight Special is truly a classic.  I am glad I paid the extra dollar on Amazon to buy it not just rent it.  Can’t say I feel exactly the same way about Rollerball but hey two classic Sci-fi movies for 10 bucks I won’t complain.

 

Midnight Special sports a great cast.  Michael Shannon whom I think I have only seen in Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman as General Zod.  I thought Shannon was a much older man, but he is only born one year before me.  I think he has a great presence and did a wonderful job as playing a protective father.  Joel Edgerton plays his long-time friend who is helping protect his son.  Again, I know Edgerton is consider a pretty good actor, but I only know him from King Author and Star Wars.  Adam Driver plays a nerdy NSA agent hot on the trail of our young hero and his protective father and bff.  What really surprised me was seeing Kristen Dunst in the movie.  I had no idea she was going to be in it.  She plays the heroes mom and wife of Michael Shannon, which is why I looked up his age to begin with.  As I thought the age difference was going to be very large.  It’s like seven or eight years.  Dunst wore no makeup in the movie, but I still found her as beautiful as ever.  She has come a long way from being that little girl in Interview with a Vampire.  I loved her in this movie.  I am not sure if it is the old crush on her form when she played Mary Jane or if it was just because she was good. 

 

The movie does a good job of trying to help make you figure out what is going on.  Where it starts really blew me away. I am not sure why, but I really just didn’t see it that way.  I was expecting something completely different.  Over the course of the movie we realize why our hero played Jaeden Martell is so special.  It’s very unique or at least to me it was.  We build up compassion and love for our hero and his family as they race against time and enemies to get him to safety. 

 

For some reason I am not really surprised that I would give this movie a must watch.  There was something about the trailer that spoke to me from the outset.  The great cast helps delivery a unique and strong story.  It is a journey and a journey I was really happy to go on. 



billy b

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