The Midnight Sky ★★★
George Clooney
Starring George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowu, Caoilinn Springall, Kyle Chandler
Hope was the focal point within two very different stories. One saw a decrepit, isolated, dying man played by George Clooney, struggle to maintain motivation as he looked for any way to communicate with a spacecraft returning from Jupiter; whilst the other saw the astronauts aboard said spacecraft steadily make their way back to a catastrophic Earth.
Earth is covered in freezing conditions, which look incredible. Blizzards and frost bite are among just a few of the challenges that Augustine (Clooney) has to face and they are so thrilling to watch. But moments of CGI in the Jupiter scenes were a little clunky. It almost looked like a dream land and felt very cheap. It must be mentioned however when talking about things that were visually stunning...George Clooney's beard, PHWOAR!
Isolation was another key element to The Midnight Sky and I wasn't mesmerised by that feeling of solidarity in the same way that I have been in the past with films like 127 hours or Gravity. And it's very easy to compare this film to the latter (also starring George 'The bearded wonder' Clooney) as certain shots and elements within the spacecraft are so similar. Felicity Jones and David Oyelowu give vacant performances and I mean that in no way as a negative. That vacancy made for more convincing feelings towards their lack of communication with their home soil.
Certain moments left me waiting for the end with brilliantly tense moments being few and far between. The film felt uneven with no real reason to link the storylines (until the forced end). And although I enjoyed the steady pace, I did feel there was little ramification in the really high-staked moments. It also lacked a little bit of charm. The only charming moments included Caoilinn Springall being lost and lonely. One particular moment involving some peas was a definite standout.
The conclusion was an interesting take but a little underwhelming and I was only left with a sour taste in my mouth, struggling to comprehend all of the negative outcomes to life in the world beyond the film itself. But with some decent moments of anguish, complimented by a solemn score, this is still a film worth watching, just don't expect to laugh...unless you're partial to a bit of Neil Diamond.
The Midnight Sky available now on Netflix