"The Midnight Sky" a beautiful-looking slog about regret

The Midnight Sky (2020)

Based on the book “Good Morning, Midnight” by Lily Brooks-Dalton, “The Midnight Sky” feels like a science-fiction medley. George Clooney comfortably directs and stars, which makes it that much more familiar, reminding of “Solaris” and “Gravity,” as well as “The Martian,” “Ad Astra,” and “Interstellar.” As written by Mark L. Smith (2015’s “The Revenant”), the film is more of a meditation on regret than a pulse-pounder, but it just falls short of being an unforgettable accomplishment in existential catharsis. A beautiful-looking slog, “The Midnight Sky” doesn’t grab off the bat, but every frame, courtesy of cinematographer Martin Ruhe, is a beaut.

Scientist Dr. Augustine Lofthouse (George Clooney) has spent his life working towards finding a habitable planet. In 2049, all of planet Earth, except for the Arctic Circle, has been engulfed in radiation three weeks after “the event.” Even though there may no longer be a home for each of them, everyone at the Barbeau Observatory evacuates and boards a plane to go home. Gravely ill from terminal cancer, Augustine stays on, drinking and giving himself a blood transfusion as if waiting to die. When he discovers that a little girl (Caoilinn Springall) has been left behind, they stick together; she doesn’t really speak, but Augustine eventually finds out her name is Iris. Meanwhile, the team of astronauts at the Aether space station, led by Sully (Felicity Jones), prepares to return to Earth, but Augustine, with Iris in tow, must trudge through the harsh snow to warn them.

There is a race-against-the-clock element to “The Midnight Sky,” however, in a sleepier, less urgent mode. The juggling of both stories can be uneven, as the stuff in space is more compelling than following a dying scientist in the Arctic Circle. For the role of Augustine Lofthouse—what a name!—it is a change of pace for George Clooney to be bearded and weary, and Clooney’s performance is effective. (Ethan Peck, grandson of Gregory, plays a younger Augustine with Clooney’s voice dubbed.) The astronauts are the real heroes anyway, and they are all played by a top-notch cast of actors, some of whom get more to do than others. Still, Felicity Jones (who’s really pregnant), David Oyelowo, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir, and Tiffany Boone all bring grace notes of humanity and pathos. There’s also a spacewalk sequence that builds with tension until a meteor strike; a fatal injury is then startlingly staged with floating blood droplets. Alexandre Desplat’s score is reliably sweeping, and there’s a crew sing-along to Neil Diamond favorite “Sweet Caroline.” Even if it’s never as contemplative or as moving as intended, “The Midnight Sky” is ambitious and stunning to look at from a technical perspective. 

Grade: B -

Netflix released “The Midnight Sky” (118 min.) for a limited theatrical run on December 11, 2020, followed by a streaming release to Netflix on December 23, 2020.