Midnight Special is one of a dying breed of movies in so far as it sets up a plot but does not fill the dialogue with exposition, there are no voice overs and it respects the intelligence of the viewer and let’s you make up your own mind as to what is occurring with only small snippets of hints towards the developing plot at the end of which, again you are not spoon fed an ending, it’s up to you to decide how you take it.

The movie starts in a hotel room with Roy (Michael Shannon) & Lucas (Joel Egerton) watching a news report of a developing manhunt for a missing child. We are then shown Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) who is in the room with them and it is soon apparent that these are the men at the center of the manhunt. There is also a religious group who are speaking about the abduction of the child as the FBI arrive to search their compound so it becomes apparent that there is more to this story than just a simple kidnapping. That’s all you get and it’s enough to peak your interest and pull you in.

Director Jeff Nichols expertly leads you along answering the questions that are building in your head but raising new ones all the time to keep you on your toes. The moments of silence are perfectly placed as they allow you gather your thoughts before the next sequence begins and there is so much in the tone of the movie with threads of faith, loyalty and sacrifice which he handles superbly. The main cast of Egerton, Lieberher, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver and in particular Shannon all add to the tale with a believable genuinely that makes this feel less like a movie and more of an event and what could have been a run of the mill film in lesser hands has been turned into a classic sci-fi/thriller with echoes of the classics of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s era.

I recommend that you see this as soon as possible with as little knowledge of the movie so that you can enjoy what is sure to become one of the most memorable, and for my worth, best movies of recent years.

DJ Speaks Rating: 8 Out Of 10