The start of a new year felt like the perfect time to watch a new movie. With this year promising to be rather great in terms of movie and TV releases, kicking the year off with a new release sounded ideal to us.
The Midnight Sky was recently released onto Netflix - it made its debut on the streaming service on the December 23rd 2020.
The film, starring and directed by none other than George Clooney, follows Augustine (Clooney) as he races from one research station to another in search for a better signal in order to warn the ship returning to Earth from a mission.
The Earth is not in the best shape, and in 2049 Augustine is alone in a research station in the Arctic – or is he?
We see Augustine rattle around the station by himself, but after three weeks he finds out he’s not the only one there. A little girl named Iris (Caoilinn Springall) shows up, supposedly after hiding in the station since the evacuation three weeks prior.
Augustine realises that he must get from the station he is in to another one to warn the spacecraft from returning home, due to the horrific and deadly air pollution on Earth.
We also follow the crew in the space station who have returned from a mission to Jupiter, and are ready to return to Earth.
We then go on the journey with Augustine and Iris as they travel from station to station. Their journey in the harsh winds and snow is wonderful, and even has a jumpscare or two which work surprisingly well.
When Augustine checks out a plane crash during his travels, a man, at the brink of death, grabs onto his leg. At this point, loud and odd drumbeats play; this doesn’t really fit with the feel of this scene as it is one of grief and sadness - the drums just sound a little silly.
Having said that, at every other point music is playing it is simply beautiful. The composing is stunning and truly captivates you in the moment.
This is most prominent perhaps when we are catching up with the people orbiting Earth, fixing their ship after an asteroid attack.
The crew begin to sing along to Sweet Caroline while they fix the damage, and it is one of the most beautiful scenes in any film like this. The nostalgia the crew feel while listening to an old song (except for one member, who is too young to know the song), the sense of family, and the beauty of the space around them.
This scene is truly the crowning glory of this movie for sure. The cinematography is mesmerising with perfect shots, perfect lighting, and wonderful special affects you may think were real.
The swapping back and forth between Augustine on Earth and the space station is done beautifully also, with clever transitions and perfect narrative flow.
The movie doesn’t let you lose interest at any point, despite having no action scenes or really any ‘racy’ moments. The look of the film alone is wonderful enough, but the story is simply too well-written and beautiful to look away from.
However, the film took a little getting used to. The first half an hour or so didn’t really give anything away as to how magnificent it is, but, when Augustine stares up at the sky from a room in the research station, with no sound and no one else, that’s when the film has you tied down.
The majesty of this film is so powerful, and Clooney did a brilliant job directing, just as everyone who worked on this film did a remarkable job with everything else.
The Midnight Sky challenges loss, loneliness, family and friendship, all with a twist at the end that really digs into the melancholy that this film invokes throughout much of it, subtly and with ease.
If you have a Netflix subscription and haven’t checked out this wonderful film yet, then you should give it watch next time you’re settled on the couch with a hot chocolate.
Whether you enjoy sci-fi or not, this movie is one to watch due to the beautifully crafted story, and the unbelievably magnificent visuals that are like no other.
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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