George Clooney's latest directorial venture, The Midnight Sky, is an adaptation of the novel Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton, and, a few issues aside, it proves to be the actor turned filmmaker's strongest effort in quite some time.
Clooney also stars as scientist Augustine Lofthouse, who is stationed at a remote arctic research station. Lofthouse is dying of cancer, and may well be the last man on Earth. A mysterious event has had a catastrophic effect on the planet, and the crew of the NASA starship Aether (Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Tiffany Boone, Kyle Chandler and Demián Bichir) is returning home after exploring a newly discovered moon of Jupiter, completely unaware of what's happened.
Lofthouse must figure out how to warn the astronauts while also caring for a seemingly mute child named Iris (Caoilinn Springall) who hid herself away during the outpost’s evacuation.
The premise is a depressingly timely one, and while the film often strikes a sombre tone, it's far from a bleak slog. Clooney is terrific in the lead, and Lofthouse's relationship with the mysterious Iris proves to be the heart of the story. Jones, Oyelowo and the rest of the space-set cast offer strong support, but are not well served by the plot structure.
The narrative shifts back and forth between Lofthouse's attempts to contact the ship and the oblivious astronauts preparing for their return journey, and while we do spend more time with the crew in the final act, we never really get to know the characters well enough to become fully invested in their plight. This means that when things inevitably take a turn for the worse, the scenes fail to muster the requisite amount of tension, and we find ourselves wondering what the old man and the kid are up to in their icy refuge below.
Another problem is Clooney's apparent unwillingness to shake things up a bit and inject some originality into the proceedings. Pretty much every space movie cliché is on full display here, from the perilous space-walk to the emotional messages from home. Fortunately, Clooney's assured direction and likeable cast ensure that this doesn't become the glaring issue it could have been in the hands of a less accomplished filmmaker, and the movie holds it together en route to its bittersweet finale.
The ending will almost certainly be divisive, but if you're willing to suspend disbelief a smidge and go along with it, you're sure to feel the full weight of its emotional wallop.
The Midnight Sky suffers from some pacing problems and a lack of originality, but a talented cast, stunning visuals and an on-form Clooney at the helm more than make up for its flaws. Be sure to check it out for yourselves when it premieres on Netflix on December 23.