Midnight Special (2016), PG-13, ★★★

Someone may have powers.

There are two types of science fiction movies in in my opinion: you have the action adventure soap operas and you have the movies that creates intellectual thoughts in your mind that allows you might have a conversation with over a cup of coffee and need to re-watch it over again to fully understand the movie. Many science fiction movies, nowadays, have the pleasure to entertain us and/or make us think what the screenwriters and director are saying to us both on-screen with images, metaphors and verbal dialogue. Jeff Nichols has the flair of magic and ambition that sort of spirals down into weak territory in the third act. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining sci-fi flick to absorb once the movie is over.

The movie begins with an AMBER alert in which 8-year-old Alton Meyer (Jaeden Lieberher) is missing. He is last seen with a man named Roy (Michael Shannon) who is traveling somewhere mysterious. Another man named Lucas (Joel Edgerton) comes along with them as they leave the motel room as the front desk motel clerk calls in to tell officials that they are driving away in a Chevelle.

Elsewhere, Calvin Meyer (Sam Shepherd), a religious cult leader tells someone that he must get the boy back no matter what. So, we are hooked as to why the boy is so special. The FBI raids their church and take him and the cult followers away. Through the police scanner, Roy and Lucas discover that officials know the description of their vehicle. Once they speed in the dark, they avoid a stalled vehicle narrowly but the other driver was unfortunate. Lucas offers his help but as the state trooper assists the wounded driver, he gets a call about the Chevelle and Lucas shoots the trooper and escapes.

NSA agent Paul Sevier (Adam Driver) is heading the investigation and questions the congregation as to why they need Alton back. Calvin tells him that he speaks in tongues, in numbers which leads to something secretive. Along the way, Roy, Lucas and Alton meets Sarah (Kirsten Dunst) as she is concerned that Alton is not looking too well. Now what? Lots of things are going down that I cannot reveal.

They need some protection: A gun, perhaps.

I can't go much into detail about what is going on in this movie. But, I'll say this: I felt like the ambiguous journey was much more interesting than the final destination that the movie turns to because its ambiance is so mysterious that the intrigue is a letdown because the third act becomes too specific. This is some sort of an indie Steven Spielberg flick that is ambitious for its own good but it goes over the top because Nichols is probably trying to create his own tribute to him. He might have watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind and/or E.T. a few too many times to set-up and create his own sci-fi flick.

I have to praise the performances and that's what drove this movie for the most part: Michael Shannon is eerily mysterious that he hides a persona behind is character and we want something more in every following scene. He's fantastic. Joel Edgerton is solid. Kirsten Dunst does have some sort of a giveaway part as the caring mother but she is great. Adam Driver is solid as the agent. However, it is Jaeden Lieberher that stole the movie and is quietly invested with his presence on-screen. He's not some sort of annoying kid.

Jeff Nichols has made two fantastic movies: Shotgun Stories and Mud (one of my favorites from 2013.) I have not seen Take Shelter. His direction and the dark and ambiguous cinematography sets up the characters' journey and how the story will unfold for most of the trip. But, the intrigue becomes dour in its third act and Nichols' storytelling was a bit disappointing as to how literal the third act become. I do recommend it because of its ambiguous journey and Nichols' take on family in a sci-fi film but be prepared to ask yourself: "What the hell kind of ending was that?"

***