https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVgxxdu-gJc&feature=youtu.be
Jeff Nichols’s first three films—Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, and Mud—have all been critical darlings, delighting festival audiences and showing up on year-end best-of lists. His fourth effort, the science fiction chase film Midnight Special has been shrouded in secrecy for years, while the cast list (Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton, Adam Driver, and Sam Shepard) stoked anticipation. Warner Bros. pushed the release date from Thanksgiving weekend this year to March 18, 2016, but at least now there’s a brief trailer to give Nichols fans a glimpse of the movie.
Shannon stars as Roy, a father trying to protect his supernaturally gifted son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher, the kid from St. Vincent) from religious extremists (led by Shepard) and a group of government officials (led by Driver). Nichols cited John Carpenter’s 1984 film Starman as an inspiration, but it's easy to see glimmers of Steven Spielberg's E.T. in there as well. There’s not a whole lot in the footage, but it does convey a tense, high-stakes atmosphere, which has been Nichols specialty for years.
Pause at: 0:56 to see the first inklings of Alton's abilities. 1:10 for the possible dangerous extent of those powers.
Essential Quote: "I think you're a weapon ... and the ranch thinks you're their savior."—unnamed government official (Adam Driver)
