NZIFF: Midnight Special

I really wasn't sure about this sci-fi movie, but this is Midnight Special.

This is a chase movie, where a man is trying to get his son to... a location. There's a lot that's left unsaid, like the exact location (which doesn't really matter), just what the hell the deal is with the son, and what the deal is with everyone else after him. Sure, I get it, but there's a lot left to audience assumption, with the unspoken assumption that it doesn't really matter. Because it doesn't. People are after X, people are trying to get X to safety... and go!

So with the plot not really that important, it's more about the characters. And while the man is well done (by Michael "Zod" Shannon), the others don't feel quite as fleshed out. Decent performances, but nothing outstanding. And the kid isn't too annoying, just mildly annoying. The effects feel very added on, and again, like the plot, don't really matter.

This movie works well enough on a basic level, but the irrelevance of the plot is against it.

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