Jeff Nichols’ retro-tinged science fiction thriller Midnight Special looks like the type of film you don’t want to know too much about before you see it—which means the tidbits we’ve gotten (a poster, an early trailer, one thrilling clip
The new trailer, below, doesn’t offer many new hints in terms of plot—we already know it’s about a father, played by Nichols-film regular Michael Shannon, running scared with his exceptionally gifted son—but you get a slightly better sense of characters played by Adam Driver and Kirsten Dunst. (And, obviously, you get an even bigger sense that Midnight Special is going to be one of the must-see science fiction movies of the year.)
Here’s an updated official synopsis:
In the sci-fi thriller “Midnight Special,” writer/director Jeff Nichols proves again that he is one of the most compelling storytellers of our time, as a father (Michael Shannon), goes on the run to protect his young son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), and uncover the truth behind the boy’s special powers.
What starts as a race from religious extremists and local law enforcement quickly escalates to a nationwide manhunt involving the highest levels of the Federal Government. Ultimately his father risks everything to protect Alton and help fulfill a destiny that could change the world forever, in this genre–defying film as supernatural as it is intimately human.
Midnight Special opens March 18.