10 Most Overrated Movies Of 2016 (So Far)

Midnight Special clearly owes a debt to Steven Spielberg's '80s sensibilities, and on that basis it initially makes for an intriguing watch. Unfortunately, it turns out that this Close Encounters wannabe is only one third of a good picture, and before long it totally loses it ways. How did so many critics deem this to be a satisfying yarn?

The plot is simple to a fault: two men - Michael Shannon and Joel Edgerton - kidnap a sensitive young boy ("sensitive" in the way that he can't go outside during the day) and are subsequently pursued by both members of a cult and the FBI. The boy, named Alton, may or may not in possession of special powers...

The main issue with this picture is that the lack of narrative weight makes it surprisingly boring to watch after the first 20 minutes. With its purposeful indie tone, it deludes you into thinking you're sitting down to a more weighty flick. But even the neat stylistic touches are borrowed, and there's actually very little originality to be had: it feels like an awkward hodgepodge between Starman and Firestarter.

The extent to which Midnight Special settles to be vague and ambiguous is only ever irksome, too, as the central "mystery" isn't anywhere near compelling enough for it to have been concealed so heavily in the first place, whilst Michael Shannon - usually fantastic - somehow feels unnatural in a performance that was written for him.

"I think plot is very overrated," once said Midnight Special's director, Jeff Nichols, and before having seen his film I might well have agreed with him. Not now, though.