The Midnight Sky (2020) * *

 

Directed by: George Clooney

Starring:  George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Demian Bichir, Kyle Chandler, Tiffany Boone, Caoilinn Springall

The Midnight Sky looks beautiful, but at the service of a dull and occasionally ridiculous story.   The movie begins in 2049, "a few weeks after the event" referring to an environmental disaster which has left Earth practically uninhabitable.   Dying scientist Dr. Augustine Lofthouse (Clooney) decides to stay in his Arctic base while the rest of the crew evacuates.   "If I were interested in dying, I'd go with you," he tells an evacuee, which tells you how dire the situation is.   Dr. Lofthouse is the only inhabitant of this distant base, until a young mute girl shows up after being seemingly left behind by the others.

Dr. Lofthouse many years ago discovered planet K 23, which has an atmosphere similar to Earth's and could be colonized if Earth continues on its downward spiral.    A space vessel captained by Adewole (Oyelowo) is on its way back to Earth from K 23 and has no clue what they're in for when they arrive.  Dr. Lofthouse realizes the radio signal from his base is too weak to reach the ship, so he and the young girl named Iris (Springall) journey through harsh conditions to a nearby base to use its stronger satellite dish.  He wants to tell the ship to turn around because there is nothing left on Earth for them.  This man whose health is so fragile he needs daily blood transfusions to survive manages to endure bitter cold, blizzards, a fall through ice into freezing water, and other tribulations without perishing.   

The Midnight Sky cuts back and forth between the Arctic and the ship, where the crew processes the idea of not being able to return home.   Both stories are unable to sustain much interest.   Flashbacks to Augustine's failed marriage are peppered in, and in the end we understand how these are all linked.  The Midnight Sky takes its sweet time moving like molasses at the North Pole to reach its Big Reveal conclusion.  Clooney has directed and starred in better films.    The movie is top-loaded with A-list stars who likely jumped at the opportunity to work with George Clooney, but maybe they should've waited for a different project.