Midnight Special (film)

Last updated

Midnight Special
Midnight Special (film) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Written byJeff Nichols
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAdam Stone
Edited by Julie Monroe
Music by David Wingo
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • February 12, 2016 (2016-02-12)(Berlinale)
  • March 18, 2016 (2016-03-18)(United States)
Running time
112 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States [3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million [4]
Box office$7.7 million [5]

Midnight Special is a 2016 American science fiction 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, Jaeden Martell, and Sam Shepard. [6] It is Nichols's fourth full-length film and his first studio production. [7] It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. [8]

Contents

Shannon plays a father who escapes with his son from both the government and a cult after they discover that his son has special powers. The film began a theatrical release on March 18 by Warner Bros. Pictures, expanding wider in subsequent weeks. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $7 million worldwide against its $18 million budget.

Plot

In a motel, Roy Tomlin and his friend Lucas watch an AMBER Alert for 8-year-old Alton Meyer and his reported abductor, Roy, while the boy reads on the floor.

At the Ranch, a religious cult in rural Texas, Pastor Calvin Meyer dispatches two of his parishioners to retrieve Alton. He then faces his congregation as the FBI storms their church. NSA communications analyst Paul Sevier asks Calvin how numbers sent via encoded satellite transmissions made their way into his sermons. Calvin explains that Alton speaks in tongues and gave the numbers to Calvin. As Alton's powers grew, his mother Sarah abandoned him, and members of the Ranch have been raising him, with Pastor Meyer as his adoptive father. It is also noted in this sequence that Roy is Alton's biological father. Roy is protective of Alton, doing everything in his power to avert danger.

After a violent confrontation with a state trooper, Roy and Lucas seek cover at the home of Elden, a former Ranch member. During the night, an earthquake seems to wake Roy and Lucas. When they break down the door to Alton's room, they find him linked to Elden by blinding beams of light directly from his eyes into Elden's. Roy knocks out Elden and covers up Alton, who is extremely photosensitive. They take Elden's van and continue on toward a location that Alton specified. Members of the Ranch seem to know this location, but the FBI is desperately trying to figure out where the trio are headed.

When they stop at a gas station, Alton seems to destroy a satellite, creating a rain of debris crashing down on them. They drive to Sarah Tomlin's house, and she is overjoyed to be reunited with her son. After they watch the news together, Alton explains that he caused the satellite to crash because the police were using it to track him.

As the fugitives (now including Sarah) continue on their trek, Alton appears to be growing sick and weak. He convinces Roy to let him see the daylight, while Lucas and Sarah go ahead to a motel. After witnessing his first ever sunrise, Alton's eyes begin to glow, and an enormous dome of light surrounds the duo. They reunite with Lucas and Sarah, and Alton is healthy. He explains that seeing the sun helped him realize his true identity. He explains that there is a world "built on top of" this one, and that he belongs to it. Roy confirms that he briefly saw this hidden world inside the dome of light.

When they exit the hotel room, they are ambushed by Calvin's trackers from the ranch, who abduct Alton but are soon captured by the police. The boy is taken to a government facility where, although he had no normal way of knowing who the man was, he insists that he will talk only to Paul Sevier. After Sevier experiences Alton's powers, he helps reunite him with his parents. Having deduced their destination from Calvin's sermons, Sevier warns the fugitives that there is a 5-mile security perimeter around the location on the Florida panhandle.

Roy barrels through a roadblock, driving inside the perimeter as the Army scrambles to give chase. As they speed away, Alton lets them know just where to stop. Alton and Sarah speedily exit the car and run into the woods. Roy and Lucas lead the Army on a wild goose chase while Alton and Sarah reach the edge of a swamp. There, a great dome of light appears, engulfing much of Florida and surrounding states. Everyone inside the dome of light can see the futuristic structures of a parallel world. Eventually, other beings of this world gather around Alton, and the entire dome disappears, taking Alton with it.

Roy and Lucas are arrested. Lucas is interviewed by the FBI. He tells them the story, but they are dissatisfied. Sevier then enters to interview him, with Lucas the only one aware of Sevier's previous involvement. Sarah, apparently walking away from her past life forever, cuts off her cult-traditionalist hair braid in a local gas station. Roy is incarcerated, but can watch the sunrise, his eyes briefly and faintly glowing in a similar manner to Alton's.

Cast

Production

Principal photography commenced on January 20, 2014, [9] and took place for 40 days in New Orleans, wrapping on March 1, 2014. [10] The film was produced by Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, with Glen Basner and Christos V. Konstantakopoulos as executive producers. [11] [12]

Release

Midnight Special was backed and primarily distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and Entertainment One handled UK distribution. [13] Warner Bros. initially set the film for a release on November 25, 2015, [14] but in July 2015 moved the date back to March 18, 2016. [15] The film was given a limited release on March 18, 2016, while the wide expansion began on April 8 in the United States. [5] Warner Home Video released the film on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. on June 14, 2016. [16]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an 83% approval rating based on 240 reviews; the average score is 7.30/10. 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." [17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [18]

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club described the "Spielberg-esque" science fiction 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 Midnight Special for Nichols' visual style and an "embarrassment of wonderful performances". [19] Benjamin Lee, writing for The Guardian , felt that Nichols was "making a concerted effort to stake his claim as a hit-maker" but that the film lacks "Spielbergian magic", leaving it "disappointingly lifeless". [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirsten Dunst</span> American actress (born 1982)

Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the anthology film New York Stories (1989) and has since starred in several film and television productions. She has received several awards including nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Edgerton</span> Australian actor (born 1974)

Joel Edgerton is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is known for his portrayal of Will McGill on the first two seasons of the Australian drama series The Secret Life of Us (2001–02), and for playing Owen Lars in the Star Wars films Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), a role he reprised in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). For his portrayal of Richard Loving in the 2016 historical drama Loving, he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture.

<i>Interview with the Vampire</i> (film) 1994 film directed by Neil Jordan

Interview with the Vampire is a 1994 American gothic horror film directed by Neil Jordan, based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, and starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. It focuses on Lestat (Cruise) and Louis (Pitt), beginning with Louis's transformation into a vampire by Lestat in 1791. The film chronicles their time together, and their turning of young Claudia into a vampire. The narrative is framed by a present-day interview, in which Louis tells his story to a San Francisco reporter. The supporting cast features Antonio Banderas and Stephen Rea.

Midnight Special may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Shannon</span> American actor

Michael Corbett Shannon is an American actor. Shannon received two Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations, for Revolutionary Road (2008), and Nocturnal Animals (2016). He received Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for his role in 99 Homes (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Plemons</span> American actor (born 1988)

Jesse Plemons is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and achieved a breakthrough with his role as Landry Clarke in the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights (2006–2011). He subsequently portrayed Todd Alquist in season 5 of the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad (2012–2013) and its sequel film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). For his role as Ed Blumquist in season 2 of the FX anthology series Fargo (2015), he received his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination and won a Critics' Choice Television Award. He received a second Emmy nomination for his performance in "USS Callister", an episode of the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror (2017).

<i>How to Lose Friends & Alienate People</i> (film) 2008 British film

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is a 2008 British comedy film based upon Toby Young's 2001 memoir How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. The film follows a similar storyline, about his five-year struggle to make it in the United States after employment at Sharps Magazine. The names of the magazine and people Young came into contact with during the time were changed for the film adaptation. The film version is a highly fictionalized account, and differs greatly from the work upon which it was built.

The Razzie Award for Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst film adapted from some forms of original or previous material. This category covers films that are sequels, prequels, remakes, reboots, spin-offs, film adaptations of other media franchises, mockbusters and "rip-offs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Cannes Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 64th Cannes Film Festival |took place from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition. American filmmaker Terrence Malick won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the drama film The Tree of Life.

<i>Take Shelter</i> 2011 American psychological thriller film

Take Shelter is a 2011 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. The plot follows a young husband and father (Shannon) who is plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, and questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself and his increasing worries over having paranoid schizophrenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Nichols</span> American filmmaker (born 1978)

Jeff Nichols is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are characterized by their Southern United States backdrop and ambience. He is also known for his longstanding collaboration with actor Michael Shannon, who has appeared in all of his feature films to date.

Sarah Green is an American film producer. She currently sits on the National Board of Directors for the Producers Guild of America. On January 24, 2012, she was nominated for an Academy Award for the film The Tree of Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Haze</span> American actor

Scott Haze is an American actor. He is known for his role in the 2013 film Child of God, as well as Thank You for Your Service (2017), the 2021 western Old Henry, and others. He also directed Mully (2015), a documentary on the African humanitarian Charles Mully.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Driver</span> American actor (born 1983)

Adam Douglas Driver is an American actor, recognized for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers. Driver made his film debut in J. Edgar (2011) and played supporting roles in Lincoln (2012), Frances Ha (2012), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) and While We're Young (2014). Driver won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for a leading role in Hungry Hearts (2014) and gained wider recognition for playing Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019).

<i>Fargo</i> season 2 Second season of the American television series

The second season of Fargo, an American anthology black comedy crime drama television series created by Noah Hawley, premiered on October 12, 2015, on the basic cable network FX. Its principal cast is Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Jesse Plemons, Jean Smart, and Ted Danson. The ten-episode season's finale aired on December 14, 2015. As an anthology, each Fargo season possesses its own self-contained narrative, following a disparate set of characters in various settings in a connected shared universe.

William H. Slaughter is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles in The Big Short, The Magnificent Seven, The Campaign, Netflix's Mindhunter, Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches, and Marvel's Cloak & Dagger. He starred in films such as Mysterious Circumstance, which won the "Best Picture" award at the Los Angeles Film Awards (2022).

<i>Loving</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Jeff Nichols

Loving is a 2016 American biographical romantic drama film which tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, the plaintiffs in the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage. The film was produced by Big Beach and Raindog Films, and distributed by Focus Features. The film takes inspiration from The Loving Story (2011) by Nancy Buirski, a documentary which follows the Lovings and their landmark case. The film was directed by Jeff Nichols, who also wrote the screenplay. Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton co-star as Mildred and Richard Loving. Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll, and Michael Shannon are all featured in supporting roles.

The 21st San Diego Film Critics Society Awards were announced on December 12, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Pictures</span> American film studio

Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company and the flagship studio of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California. Animated films produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation are also released under the studio banner.

<i>Hank the Cowdog</i> (podcast) Childrens podcast

Hank the Cowdog is a scripted podcast written and directed by Jeff Nichols and produced by QCode. The five episode series stars Matthew McConaughey. The show is an adaptation of the Hank the Cowdog story called "Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest".

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rooney, David (February 12, 2016). "'Midnight Special': Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  2. ↑ "MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (12A)". British Board of Film Classification . February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Midnight Special (2015)". American Film Institute . Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  4. ↑ Dawes, Amy (Fall 2014). "From Indie to Mainstream". dga.org. Directors Guild of America. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Midnight Special (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  6. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (November 21, 2013). "Adam Driver Joins Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst in WB's Sci-Fi Drama 'Midnight Special'". TheWrap.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  7. ↑ Lodge, Guy (August 13, 2013). "Kirsten Dunst joins Michael Shannon and Joel Edgerton in Jeff Nichols' 'Midnight Special'". HitFix.com. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Berlinale 2016: First Films for Competition and Berlinale Special". Berlinale. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  9. ↑ Sullivan, Kevin (August 7, 2013). "Jeff Nichols, The Director Of 'Mud', Talks About His New Sci-Fi Movie, 'Midnight Special'". MTV. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  10. ↑ "PRODUCTION HOTLINE". louisianaentertainment.gov. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  11. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 8, 2013). "Michael Shannon To Reteam With 'Mud' Helmer Jeff Nichols On Warner Bros Project". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  12. ↑ Debruge, Peter (February 12, 2016). "Film Review: 'Midnight Special'". Variety . Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (June 4, 2013). "eOne takes Jeff Nichols' Midnight Special for UK". ScreenDaily. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Warner Bros Pushes Ben Affleck's 'Live By Night', Dates 'Midnight Special' & 3 Others". Deadline Hollywood. May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  15. ↑ Petski, Denise (July 28, 2015). "Jeff Nichols' 'Midnight Special' Pushed Into 2016". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  16. ↑ Spurlin, Thomas (June 21, 2016). "Midnight Special (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk . Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Midnight Special (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Midnight Special reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  19. ↑ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (March 17, 2016). "Midnight Special is a unique blend of chase flick and sci-fi parable". AVClub.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  20. ↑ Lee, Benjamin (February 12, 2016). "Midnight Special review – close encounters of a turgid kind". the Guardian.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.