Curator Watchlist
A handsomely made, melancholy sci-fi survival drama with a strong premise and atmospheric Arctic imagery, but it’s often more admired for its look and intent than for its momentum or emotional payoff. Best approached as a quiet, reflective end-of-the-world story rather than a suspenseful space thriller.
Where to watch: Buy
Thu · 1h 58m
Director: George Clooney
Starring: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo
A lone scientist in the Arctic races to contact a crew of astronauts returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.
George Clooney
George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo
A handsomely made, melancholy sci-fi survival drama with a strong premise and atmospheric Arctic imagery, but it’s often more admired for its look and intent than for its momentum or emotional payoff. Best approached as a quiet, reflective end-of-the-world story rather than a suspenseful space thriller.
The Midnight Sky is built on a compelling contrast: the frozen stillness of an Arctic outpost against the vast, desperate silence of space. It has the ingredients of a gripping post-catastrophe drama, and for stretches it delivers real atmosphere, especially in its wintry visuals and lonely, end-of-the-world tone. George Clooney stages it with a clean, mournful professionalism that keeps the film watchable even when it’s not especially alive.
What holds it back is a familiar kind of prestige-sci-fi heaviness. The film reaches for emotional grandeur and existential reflection, but the storytelling can feel thin, and the character work doesn’t always support the scale of the ideas. It’s the sort of movie that seems to be aiming for Interstellar-level awe while settling into something quieter, more conventional, and less affecting.
Still, there’s enough craft here to make it worth a cautious recommendation for the right viewer. If you’re in the mood for a bleak, reflective survival tale with strong imagery and a serious tone, it can work as a mood piece. If you want propulsion, surprise, or deep emotional catharsis, it’s likely to feel underpowered.
matt lynch (3★) · 746 likes
I didn't think this was so bad but it's a testament to how basic Clooney is that he set a cute crew singalong moment to Sweet Caroline.
Jay (2★) · 560 likes
interstolen
Ethan Ethan (1★) · 560 likes
George Clooney proved that time is relative by making a 2 hour film that felt like 6 hours
nabeel (2★) · 501 likes
miley cyrus did it better
suttercain (2★) · 403 likes
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post-apocalyptic survival, isolation, space travel, global catastrophe, parenthood and responsibility, redemption, communication across distance, melancholy
science fiction, drama, post-apocalyptic, survival, space mission, Arctic setting, melancholy, slow burn, prestige sci-fi, existential