STACK May 2016 Issue 139

ALSO SCREENING

IN MAY

Apocalypse is the name of the very first

mutant. It's also what this ancient, godlike

being intends to bring upon the world. "Forget

everything you think you know," Mystique tells

her classmates, because school is out for the

First Class, who must now prove worthy of

the title X-Men. Younger versions of Storm,

Cyclops, Angel and Nightcrawler join J.Law,

Fassbender and a bald McAvoy on

May 19

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne's attempts to sell up are

threatened by the arrival of Chloë Grace Moretz and

her out of control sorority sisters. It's Zac Efron and

his frat boys to the rescue on

May 5

BAD NEIGHBOURS 2

How exactly do you turn a smartphone gaming

app into a feature film? Find out how – and

why these birds are so angry – on

April 7

If this is a hit, can

Candy Crush: The Movie

too far away?

THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE

Is it too soon for a comedy like WTF? Tina Fey plays

a war correspondent in Afghanistan, alongside

Aussies Stephen Peacocke and Margot Robbie. Let's

hope it's better than

Rock the Kasbah

May 12

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT

haring its title with the Lead Belly song,

Midnight Special

is the new film from

indie auteur Jeff Nichols, who helmed the

underrated

Take Shelter

(2011) and the overrated

Mud

(2012).

You might recall that Creedence's cover of

same song opened

Twilight Zone: The Movie

(1983), which provides a good clue as to the

nature of Nichols' latest – it's an homage to

eighties' sci-fi films.

This retro approach was recently seen in J.J.

Abrams'

Super 8

(2011), but where Abrams' film

paid tribute to Joe Dante and Spielberg's

E.T.

Nichols takes his cues from John Carpenter's

Starman

(1984) and Stephen King's

Firestarter

or more specifically, road movies in which a

preternaturally powered individual is pursued

across the country by ruthless government

agents, whilst attempting to reach a specific

destination by a certain time.

Midnight Special

opens with what initially

appears to be a child abduction, but is quickly

revealed to be the liberation of eight-year-old

Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) from a religious cult by

his father (played by Nichols' regular

Michael Shannon).

The fundamentalists (who believe the boy to

be a prophet) and the Feds begin a relentless

pursuit of this strange child, who has an

aversion to sunlight and the ability to send a

satellite plummeting from orbit.

It will take a father's profound love for his

son, plus some help from a sympathetic NSA

officer (Adam Driver), to enable Alton to fulfil his

mysterious date with destiny.

Nichols' films have always favoured family

ties and a strong sense of Americana, and even

with the genre twist,

Midnight Special

remains

firmly entrenched in both. The focus is on the

human element, with the special effects and

sci-fi angle kept reasonably low key until a

spectacular – and genuinely thrilling – final reveal.

It's only a matter of time before Nichols is

poached from the arthouse circuit to direct the

next Star Wars or Jurassic sequel, and on the

strength of

Midnight Special

that will probably

be sooner rather than later.

Scott Hocking

FURTHER VIEWING:

Starman, Mud

Retro sci-fi shines a light.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

RELEASED:

Now Showing

DIRECTOR:

Jeff Nichols

CAST:

Michael Shannon, Joel

Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst

RATING:

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CINEMA

REVIEWS

jbhifi.com.au

MAY

2016

CINEMA