Review: Midnight Sky Netflix Original

I watched The Midnight Sky so you don’t have to.

Set in the future, George Clooney plays a dying, grumpy old man, (the last human on earth), after what I think is a nuclear war. With radiation approaching his Antarctic base(?) he discovers a spaceship returing to earth, and the the crew don’t know what’s happened to Earth. Can he find a way to warn them before they reach Earth?

Who cares.

Look, the movie is slow. It’s competently made and directed by Clooney… but imo, this is what pretentious film making looks like. There are shots that drag on for way longer than necessary. Uninteresting quick cuts of people moving around that again, go on for far too long, but you do get the sense that he’s TRYING to show us… something, but it feels more like, “look how amazing a director I am.”

There’s at least 15mins that could be cut. The emotional payoff/twist at the end falls flat and can be seen coming from the beginning. That all being said, it’s beautifully shot, the script is fine, the acting is fine, Kyle Chandler and Caoilin Springall really shine.

It’s an alright movie, and it’s success is because everyone loves Clooney, but the story telling, both visually and narratively leave something to be desired.