Movie Review: 'The Midnight Sky'

The Midnight Sky is an intense experience. Directed by and starring George Clooney, this post-apocalyptic drama has some corny elements but it more than makes up for that with a stomach churning amount of suspense and thrills. Clooney still has a few kinks to work out in his directorial style but other than his Oscar nominated, Good Night and Good Luck, The Midnight Sky is his best piece of direction yet.

The Midnight Sky stars George Clooney as Augustine Lofthouse, a brilliant scientist who is spending his final days at a research station in Antarctica. Augustine has terminal cancer and is sustained through blood transfusions but it’s only a matter of time before the end comes. This is rendered ironic as the rest of the world appears to also only have a few days left. An unnamed apocalyptic event is bringing humanity to an end.

Rather than returning to America to join millions of people who wish to die with their family or try to tunnel underground to find at least temporary shelter from the apocalypse, Augustine has chosen to stay and die in Antarctica. As we come to find out, Augustine passed up his chance for love and a family in favor of his work and the chance to map the universe for perhaps another place for humanity to thrive.

Augustine’s work is responsible for one of the most ambitious space flights in human history. Led by Commander Tom Adewole (David Oyelowo), this flight has gone to the farthest depths of the known universe and returns triumphant, having found a habitable planet. Commander Adewole commands a crew that includes, Sully (Felicity Jones), head communications, her assistant Maya (Tiffany Boone), engineer Sanchez (Demien Bechir) and pilot Mitchell (Kyle Chandler).

The crew of this space flight is on the last leg of a long flight home with their breathtaking breakthrough. Unfortunately, having been so far away, they are unaware of what has happened on Earth. Knowing that the crew has only recently returned to range, Augustine makes the harrowing decision that he must tell the crew to turn around and continue their mission. To do this however, Augustine must traverse the dangerous Antarctic terrain several miles to reach another station with a stronger communication satellite.

This is where business really starts to pick up for fans of ever escalating odds against survival. The frozen wasteland is being slowly usurped by whatever disaster has doomed the planet and Augustine must take his blood transfusion machine with him on his back in order to stay alive long enough to contact the flight crew. Augustine must also bring with him a little girl who was left behind when his station was evacuated. The silent girl is named Iris and is played wonderfully by newcomer Caoilinn Springall.

The space flight crew also has challenges ahead as without connection to NASA they end up off course and must traverse an uncharted portion of space in order to reach Earth. Asteroid fields or space ice or whatever it is damages the ship and forces an exciting and terrifying space walk that Clooney films with dread silence. You know something is about to happen but you don’t know what it is and the mounting suspense is as exhilarating as the outcome is shocking.

I usually get annoyed at movies that appear to make survival impossible. This time, I didn’t mind it so much because Clooney crafted the chest tightening, breath catching suspense so very well. It’s a masterful bit of direction that leaves you wondering if the movie might have the nerve to be as horrifically downbeat as it has the potential to be. But, you will need to see the movie to find out, I am not going to spoil it.

I could take issue with the same plot point that so many of my fellow critics are hung up on but I won’t. Not merely out of a desire to remain spoiler free for you, dear reader, but also because I think it’s a bit of an over-reaction. Yes, it’s a little corny and a little pat but getting to this plot point is really exciting and every other aspect of The Midnight Sky, including a brilliant score and crisp cinematography, are so good that I can’t get mad at a little hokeyness.

The Midnight Sky opens in limited theatrical release on December 11th and arrives on Netflix on December 23rd.