The Midnight Sky – Movie Reviews by Ry!

The Midnight Sky – Life in the Lost: Beyond Space and Wonder

Within the inner thought, a trail of contemplation can leave everlasting impacts.  Driven by design, these moments can provide stories that provoke meaning in varied stature.  In this latest review, I look at a Netflix Original that pushes wonder in the guise of Sci-Fi.  Imbued with meaningful potential, this film does a delicate dance of character motifs with varied results.  Even when the journey is disjointed, The Midnight Sky is a wonder of moments, a define of life in the lost.  

In the Artic, a lone scientist is trying to survive the aftermath of some unknown global disaster.  With no hope left, he attempts to contact a group of astronauts to warn them of the catastrophe.  The ideas of ponderance are leveled against typical genre tropes.  Set within a post-apocalyptic setting, we are introduced to Augustine (George Clooney).  He is the last scientist left at a research station in the Artic.  With his introduction, we flow through a slow-moving narrative driven by observation.  Through the technique of a character’s personal perspective, the mundane is lifted through riveting thought provoking scenes.  Here, you see Augustine reflect on his present situation through convenient flashbacks.  There is gravitas in the minimalistic directive, giving girth to the backstory while leveling it against surviving the unknown aftermath (on Earth).  Clooney (director) provides a strong character piece, but it never goes beyond because it lacks an anchor of story development.  The subtleties are welcomed, but it only becomes fragments with the introduction of the Sci-Fi elements.  Sully (Felicity Jones) and crew are returning from a successful space mission, only to find a different planet upon arrival.  From this point, it becomes a race against time for both parties trying to contact each other and find out the truth of the situation. 

As we move into the second half, the methodical direction starts to get lost within its own potential.  With Augustine (on Earth) and Sully and crew (in space) you have a back-and-forth narrative that showcases character motifs without real explanation.  The slow contemplation scenes that highlighted a strong first half loose its pedigree within the second half.  There is no real story, just scenes fraught with detail of lost memories and survival.  The character moments become the anchor to a disjointed directive, adding riveting sensations to the unexplained truths.  As we reach the final act, it becomes a revelation of twists that leads to a self-reflective climax.  The Midnight Sky is a personal story that takes risks with mixed results.  With strong characters, you have a different perspective of a Sci-Fi adventure.  If you are a fan of the actors/actress, character stories or Sci-Fi, this is one for you.  This is available on Netflix, but it would be a fun escape on the big screen for the right price. 

Full Score – 3 out of 5 (Theater Discount)