394. The Midnight Sky; movie review

THE MIDNIGHT SKY

Cert 12A

122 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate gory images, injury detail, threat

Another review and another movie which might have been better if viewed at the cinema.

In other words, George Clooney's The Midnight Sky was more of a spectacle than a riveting thriller.

That's a shame because its concept is a good one - the earth facing extinction just as a solitary team of astronauts is discovering a habitable planet.

But, in my opinion, its makers were so determined to tie its strands together that they did so at the cost of dramatic effect rather than enhancing it.

Clooney plays a terminally ill scientist who remains at an Arctic station after it has been evacuated because of threats of radiation from an unidentified apocalyptic event which threatens to destroy the planet.

He sets about trying to make contact with a space mission to a habitable moon of Jupiter to warn its crew not to return.

Then he discovers that a young girl (Caoilinn Springall) has missed the final flights out of the base.

Thus, the two play out what is presumed will be their final days gently getting to know each other as the scientist continues to send messages in the hope of attracting the attention of the aforementioned space crew.

Meanwhile, communications are down on the vessel because of a problem with the ship's radar which the Commander (David Oyelowo), his partner and fellow astronaut (Felicity Jones) and Flight Engineer (Tiffany Boone) set out to fix.

They have no idea of what is happening on earth believing a lack of contact with mission control at NASA and other keys sites is down to them.

Much of the film is spent building up to the moment when Clooney's character and the astronauts eventually make contact.

Through flashbacks, we get to know about him and an extra layer is added when the little girl appears, melting away his initial crustiness.

Unfortunately, except for two fairly dramatic moments, The Midnight Sky is slow bordering on dull.

And that is a shame because it addresses two fascinating questions. What will it be like when the world comes to an end and will humans be able to settle elsewhere?

Unfortunately, neither are exploited to their full potential.

Reasons to watch: Original sci-fi premise

Reasons to avoid: Lacks much action

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? The closest planet to earth that could sustain life is Proxima b which is 4.3 light-years away. It has water and oxygen and could potentially be home to alien life.

The final word.  George Clooney: "There’s a lot of work now and Netflix is a big part of it. They’ll do films that I used to do with smaller independent studios; the movies that I’m interested in making – Good Night and Good Luck, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Michael Clayton. I don’t do tentpole films, so it’s exciting to have a place in Netflix that I can go to." Independent

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