Movie Review: "The Midnight Sky" & How George Clooney Never Ages

 Disclaimer: I'm not a professional journalist or movie critic.  I have been raised on movies from the 80's and onward, forever in their debt for countless inspiration, creativity, and a passion for the arts.  What I put on paper (or online) is purely a celebration of what I love and my opinions on specific works of film/TV.  My critique and opinions are mine and mine alone.  I hope you will find insights of your own here.  Thank you.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS, YE BE WARNED!

It was a night recently that I had spent in bed, tossing and turning, at the mercy of that indefatigable bastard the doctors call, "insomnia".  It is a thing which most of you are at least, in part, aware of.  For me, one of the best coping habits is to watch something brand new in television or film.  On this particularly miserable night, I was scrolling and came up "The Midnight Sky".  I had never heard of this film.  I took a peek at the trailer and thought it was a decent trailer, not too over-the-top but also not at all boring.  I decided this was the movie to hopefully get me to fall asleep to afterwards.  And boy, was I happy I did.
(watch the trailer below for better context)

The Midnight Sky Trailer

"The Midnight Sky", directed and starred by George Clooney along with Felicity Jones ("Rogue One"), David Oyelowo ("Interstellar", "The Cloverfield Paradox"), and Kyle Chandler ("Argo", "Super 8")is the tale of a world-renown scientist (Clooney) left at an Arctic science lab while the rest of the world goes to hell.  An incoming space mission from one of Jupiter's moons is slated for arrival on Earth and he must find a way to contact them before they reach a now-unlivable planet with only the far north (and presumably south) still habitable but it's hinted that that is only temporary.  However, Clooney's character, Augustine, finds an unexpected problem. . . 

 

I'm not too familiar with Clooney's works as a director except for "Good Night & Good Luck" which was a terrific historical piece covering the height and horror of McCarthyism in the US during The Cold War.  Seeing "The Midnight Sky" has shown me how much Clooney as a director has grown; the setting, the shots, the moments of silence, the picturesque nature of a livable moon of Jupiter - it all is done in an extraordinary way that is some excellent eye candy that you keeps you wanting more.   The pacing is a little on the slower side for the first half of the movie but this feels very deliberate: the feeling of isolation and alone-ness is heightened by this choice. 

Clooney as Augustine was pretty solid.  Augustine is a driven man as evidenced by flashbacks and how his work is his life.  This complicates things with affairs of the heart which he seems to just stoically let them roll away into oblivion.  Without going into too much detail, the movie peers into pieces of his past so show you that this man of science, this driven and ambitious man, was all about learning for the good of humankind. . . and how he does have regrets of the heart even at the end of the world.   Clooney portrays this in very stiff and cold ways at first, lending to the idea that this man is actually miserable and is very sad, to which the character himself may not have realized despite being a genius. 

The space crew aboard the "Aether" are returning to Earth after several years exploring K-23, a habitable moon of Jupiter's.  Although there is some sort of cataclysmic event that will cover the earth in unlivable radiation, the crew have no signs that there's any issues other than no one is answering their communications.  One of the key moments on the station is when it is said that K-23 is confirmed to be habitable - and although we never truly get to see the moon's landscapes, it is cleverly remembered in a dream of Felicity Jones's character, Sully.  This also serves as her introduction to us, the audience.  Shortly after, she teases the captain (David Oyelowo) that she won't speak to him because they all abandoned her on K-23 in the dream. 

A glimpse from the moon, K-23

The overall camaraderie all five crew share is shown through various scenes of dialogue which, in my opinion, should have been explored more so that the audience would have a stronger connection to them.   What we do get is limited but a bit lacking so when things go badly, you can empathize but it feels mostly from a distance.  We do get a little backstory for each of them and how some of them have family they're anxious to get home to despite not knowing there is probably no one left alive.  

The movie never explains what the exact nature of the cataclysmic events are but it seems to hint at nuclear fallout - one of the more probable causes of our extinction.   Leaving this open-ended was a great choice, it keeps you wanting more information that will ultimately never truly be answered.  I admit, one of my favorite shots is from the Aether once they see earth - the pale blue dote is now smeared with what looks like black and white smoke, swirling over almost every inch of the planet in a jumbled, ugly, and horrific transformation.  

As stated earlier, the first half of the movie is rather slow and quiet.  Seemingly sluggish in the pacing, things get much more interesting when Augustine discovers he has a guest: a little girl who was apparently left behind when the facility was emptied.   From that point on, the story remains relatively calm but interesting, providing character revelations in Augustine as a person and Augustine as a scientist.  This shoe thrown into the gears so to speak is what really starts to get Augustine to be more human than he previously had been.   Watching Clooney is always a pleasure and his presence here is a welcomed part of the entire movie.  His character is in the truest form of what "tragic" means.  Without saying to much on that point, I will say that the end result is brief but felt satisfying.

Despite the story's setting, this movie has all sorts of indications that this is a celebration of being human, of life, of being alive.  Regret, sorrow, love - all these and more are part of the human condition, are a part of what being alive means.  To endure despite isn't the idea here.  It's to endure because.  That's just my own opinion but I feel I'd like to think of it this way much better. 

A surprisingly fun watch, "The Midnight Sky" may not be a blockbuster but I don't think it was ever truly meant to be.  It's a film about life and that life should be celebrated at all times, through the dark and through the good. 

If you're interested in watching this movie, it should still be on Netflix.

Out of five stars, I give this one a four.

What are your thoughts?  Have you seen it?  Did you enjoy it?  Why?  Why not?   Would love to discuss with you all!

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Be well.  Have the day you deserve.

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