Midnight Special

Some come to sci-fi films for the action, the special effects and the desire to be wowed by a strange new world. Midnight Special is a different beast, focusing on the emotions at the heart of this story, but it is a richly fulfilling movie. Piece by piece, Midnight Special gives little away, but the general story is this – a man (Michael Shannon) is being pursued, seemingly having abducted a child (Jaeden Lieberher). We learn fairly quickly that this boy is his son, Alton, a child who possesses special powers, and both the government and a group of religious extremists want to get their hands on him. What follows is a sci-fi chase that is propelled by a strong family dynamic, the journey of a father trying to understand and help his son, and it pays for the viewer to discover it for themselves. This movie is a treat for the intelligent viewer, encouraging them to invest and rewarding them when they do – a viewer who trusts the director to take their hand and lead them through this tale is in for something special.

Reece Goodall