*I mean whatever…

IMDB Synopsis

A lone scientist in the Arctic races to contact a crew of astronauts returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.

“If this were a less experienced crew, this ship would be in full-blown panic.”

If I told you George Clooney was directing and starring in a movie about the vast nature of Space, and that was it was on Netflix. Would you believe me? Well Juicers, that is where we are here at the end of this hectic year, with the movie landscape slowly shifting. The Midnight Sky is Clooney’s 7th Directorial Effort and for me it is one of his weaker efforts.

The story follows two main factions all dealing with a cataclysmic event that ravaged through Earth. Augustine (Clooney) and a young girl traveling across the Arctic (like the Martian) in order to find working radio equipment. They are trying to contact a crew in order to get rescued. That crew contains actors such as Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, and Kyle Chandler. And with such great actors you expect a lot, but they do not seem to have great chemistry and the script just does not give them moments to shine.

You can see all the different sci fi movies being referenced: from The Martian, to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, even a sprinkle of Gravity. The story here just is not nearly as compelling as any of those. And to be honest Juicers, and I hate saying this but the movie was just a little boring. The characters were not interesting and the only thing that really kept me going were the great visuals, and sweeping score.

Stock Watch

Stock Down – George Clooney

His name still holds a lot of weight but his last two Directorial efforts of Suburbicon and now The Midnight Sky have not been received well. I think he is still a talented director, he just needs the right story. I also understand why he wants to put himself in these adventurous and strong type roles, but he really is best when he just being the star George Clooney (see Oceans, see Michael Clayton, see Up in the Air). I will of course be interested in whatever is next, but this was a step back.

Stock Neutral – Felicity Jones

I really thought her career was going to skyrocket after Rogue One, but her roles have not caught the public eye quite yet. She played Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and starred in The Aeronauts but I think she has the talent to be one of the biggest stars we have. I found it interesting they used her real life pregnancy in the role. I think she gives a good performance in this, but again I just do not think she is quite on the Rocketship yet.

*A couple other tidbits

• I wanted so much more from Kyle Chandler.
• The visuals were stunning, especially the sequence with Clooney’s character going through the intense snow storm.
• Apparently they actually shot some of those scenes in -40 degrees which feels unnecessary but I respect it.

The ever expanding Netflix original film catalog is impressive, The Midnight Sky, however is not in the top tier. I love George Clooney and the visuals are impressive, but the rest is a bit of a slog with characters it is hard to relate to.

Juice Rating:

*You can find my 2020 Rankings here.

*You can find all of my Movie Ratings here.

*You can follow my Letterboxd account here.