6.6/10
72,838
271 user 340 critic

Midnight Special (2016)

Trailer
2:03 | Trailer
A father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child's special powers.

Director:

Jeff Nichols

Writer:

Jeff Nichols
Reviews
Popularity
3,124 ( 65)
3 wins & 14 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Shannon ... Roy
Joel Edgerton ... Lucas
Kirsten Dunst ... Sarah
Adam Driver ... Sevier
Jaeden Martell ... Alton (as Jaeden Lieberher)
Bill Camp ... Doak
Scott Haze ... Levi
Sam Shepard ... Calvin Meyer
Paul Sparks ... Agent Miller
David Jensen ... Elden
Sharon Landry ... Merrianne (Doak's Wife)
Dana Gourrier ... Sharon Davison (Councelor)
Sharon Garrison ... Jane Adams (Sarah's Mother)
Allison Gabriel ... Hannah (Ranch Member) (as Allison King)
Sean Bridgers ... Frederick (Ranch Member)
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Storyline

Alton Meyer is a boy unlike any other in the world with bizarrely powerful abilities and strange weaknesses. In the middle of the night, his father, Roy, spirits him away from the isolated cult that practically worships him and is determined to regain him at all costs. At the same time, Alton's abilities have been noticed by the US government as well and they are equally insistent on getting to the bottom of this mystery with Paul Sevier of the National Security Agency leading the Federal pursuit with his own questions. These rival hunts force father and son into a desperate run towards a looming date with destiny that could change everything. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

He's not like us.


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Historic New Orleans area (Gretna) supermarket "Casey Jones", which was recently closed, made a brief cameo late in the movie. See more »

Goofs

Towards the end, when the aliens are walking towards the structure, for a split second over Sarah's (Kirsten Dunst) right shoulder, you can see an actor with lights over his/her eyes (the lighting apparatus) See more »

Quotes

Roy: Do you miss it? Living on the ranch?
Elden: Yeah. Very much.
See more »

Connections

Features St. Bears Doll's Hospital (1998) See more »

Soundtracks

A Season in Waters
Written by Aaron Martin and Dag Rosenqvist
Performed by From the Mouth of the Sun
Courtesy of Experimedia Ltd.
See more »

User Reviews

 
wish all indies were this good...
22 April 2016 | by A_Different_DrummerSee all my reviews

and I can say with some certainty that Jeff Nichols has a heck of a career ahead of him.

To be frank, after your first 1000 or so IMDb reviews, you get a bit cynical. You start to understand that, in spite of the hype, movies are not as good as they used to be -- more like production-line white-bread, all mapped out and pre-sold into the appropriate distribution channels before the first viewer ever even gets a look -- and that in the same time period, TV has come to surpass film in terms of quality and entertainment value.

And then every now and then you get a film like Midnight Special and for a brief moment you start to think this medium might someday recapture its glory days.

I am not going to tell the story or do anything which will diminish your experience, should you choose to see this film.

I will simply say that, if you believe the primary goal of a movie is to hold your interest and entertain, this one does the job from the first frame to the closing credits.

Boy is that refreshing!

The actors -- not name actors -- were excellent.

The special effects were mind-boggling, especially for an indie.

The script breaks (or bends) some rules of conventional narrative but otherwise is so tight you could use it for a drum solo.

Highly recommended.


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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site | See more »

Country:

USA | Greece

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 2016 (Greece) See more »

Also Known As:

Le lieu secret See more »

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$190,012, 20 March 2016

Gross USA:

$3,712,282

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,740,647
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »

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