BLU-RAY REVIEW

Midnight Special

Featured In Issue 208, July/August 2016

Picture5
Sound5
WSR Score5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number):
3000068311
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Some action and violence.
(Retail Price):
$$29.98
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
111
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
(Disc Release Date):
6/21/2016
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Jeff Nichols
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Subtitles):

Midnight Special follows a father, Roy (Shannon), who goes on the run to protect his young son, Alton (Lieberher), a boy with mysterious powers that even Roy himself cannot comprehend. 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. Risking everything, Roy is committed to helping Alton reach his ultimate purpose, whatever that might be and whatever it costs, as they embark on a perilous journey from Texas to the Florida coast, while exploring the bonds of love and trust, and the nature of faith. (Gary Reber)

Special features include six featurettes: Origins: Roy HD 02:06), Origins: Sarah (HD 02:46), Origins: Lucas (HD 02:40), Origins: Sevier (HD 02:15), Origins: Alton (HD 02:46), and The Unseen World (HD 05:12); upfront previews; and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 2.40:1 1080p AVC picture was photographed in 35mm on Kodak Vision3 film stock. The imagery exhibits an impressive natural appearance, with a nicely balanced color palette spiked with intense bright light emanating from Alton’s eyes that is blinding. Contrast is excellent, with dark shadow delineation that requires a dark-room viewing environment and a display device capable of resolving the darkest shadows. Blacks are deep and solid. Fleshtones are naturally hued. Resolution is excellent as well, with fine detail exhibited in facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture, especially during close-ups, even in the darker scenes. Lighting effects enhance the suspense and sense of realism. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is quite dynamic with nuanced quiet moments contrasted by intense explosive moments, with deep sub-25 Hz .1 LFE energy. Shotgun and pistol shots sound real, as do vehicles and helicopters. The ringing sounds are high-frequency pitched and intense. Atmospherics and sound effects are aggressively directionalized in the soundfield and provide at times an effective holosonic® experience. The music score is hauntingly supportive, with a wide and deep soundstage that extends aggressively to the surrounds. Dialogue sounds completely natural, with good spatial integration. This is a highly effective reference soundtrack steep in natural atmospherics and powerful sound effects. (Gary Reber)