The Midnight Sky

Starring: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Caoilinn Springall, Kyle Chandler, Demian Bichir, Tiffany Boone, Sophie Rundle, Ethan Peck
Directed by: George Clooney
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A scientist (George Clooney) in the Arctic tries to communicate with a returning spacecraft after the Earth is devastated by a global catastrophe.

Review:

Tim: I really believe George Clooney is an up-and-down director. He's directed two great movies (Good Night, and Good Luck. and The Ides of March) and then he's directed a bunch of decent/good movies and at least one bad film (The Monuments Men). You really never quite know what you're going to get. Clooney's sci-fi film The Midnight Sky falls in the middle. It's a far cry from his best movies, but it's an entertaining, solid film. It leaves you wishing it was better, but glad it was at least good.

In recent years, there's been some truly remarkable science fiction movies. Whether that's Arrival, Gravity, or Interstellar, fans of the genre have been fortunate to see so many brilliant films. The bar has been set high. It's a little strange to see Clooney's film not have those kind of ambitions. There's nothing remarkable about this story, indeed, much of it feels recycled. The big twist feels somewhat played out. We've seen it before. Now, this isn't to say this is a bad movie, far from it. However, it's a film that feels comfortable staying safe, staying in the middle.

The story is interesting but problematic. I haven't read the book upon which it was based, so it's hard to know if it's the source material or if something went wrong in adapting it. Clooney plays a scientist in the Arctic who is trying to contact a returning spaceship to alert them to the global catastrophe that was ruined the planet. The whole thing feels somewhat pointless (SPOILERS)- He risks his life to get to the station to basically say hi, answer a few of the astronauts' questions and not much else. The stakes felt very low here. Sure, there were personal stakes that mattered, but I found myself wondering why I needed to care about what was happening on screen. Clooney is a good enough director that he gets you to care about the characters here somewhat, so it never feels like a waste of time. It just feels like the film talks about themes on a planetary, species level and then ultimately is a very personal story. It feels like there needed to be a closer connection between the big picture and intimate themes in the movie. Clooney the director never quite ties these two together. I'm saying all this as an explanation for why I didn't like The Midnight Sky more than I did. It's a good movie, but a deeply flawed one.

The film does work best as a character study. Clooney does a solid job of directing himself in the lead role. He shows up looking old and rough, giving a wonderful, world-weary performance. He's a really talented actor and it was fun watching him in this role. He has scenes of isolation, where it's just him alone, acting, and these are compelling. He also has a number of scenes with a young companion and it's amazing to watch as his performance softens to account for this new variable. It's a strong performance and he should be applauded for that.

The supporting cast is good, too. I'm a big fan of Felicity Jones. I really think she's one of the most versatile, talented actresses working today. She's effective in this role, that incorporated her real-life pregnancy into the role. I love that they did this- Jones is able to be a strong female lead, a brave astronaut, who's also pregnant. You don't see that kind of thing very often. This isn't a movie about her pregnancy, it's just an aspect of her character. It's refreshing to see that because it happens too seldom in Hollywood. Jones is very good in this role. I really like David Oyelowo as well. He doesn't do anything remarkable in his role, but he's so effective throughout. I enjoyed his performance as the ship's captain. Caoilin Springall was enjoyable and while she doesn't have to do much acting, her presence was felt. Kyle Chandler adds a worthwhile supporting role, and Demian Bichir gets a few nice scenes. Tiffany Boone felt slightly underutilized, but she gets a nice moment here and there. I also enjoyed seeing Ethan Peck here- I've been a fan of his work on Star Trek: Discovery and he works well here, too.

The visual effects are good in The Midnight Sky. There's not really any jaw-dropping scenes and the scene on Jupiter's moon feels cool, but also unnatural. I didn't always believe the visuals, but for the most part, the cinematography, the look of the ship, it works.

I wanted The Midnight Sky to be better than it was, but it was still a solid sci-fi movie at the end of 2020. It wasn't as inspiring as I'd hoped, but it was an enjoyable movie that I was really glad I watched.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gravity, Interstellar