"The Vast of Night" Doesn't Need Originality To Be Exceptional

The Vast of Night is proof that predictable stories can still excel at being compelling entertainment.

The movie takes place over the course of one 1950’s night in fictional Cayuga, New Mexico. While residents attend a local basketball game, fast-talking radio host Everett (Jake Horowitz) and telephone switchboard operator Fay (Sierra McCormick) puzzle over strange signals recorded by their equipment. With the help of radio broadcast, they track down people who have encountered these signals before and the more they learn, the more unbelievable the evening becomes.

Originality doesn’t seem to be the objective here, as demonstrated through the familiar Twilight Zone-ish theming. Even the conclusion isn’t difficult to figure out by the halfway point. But how the collection of stories in The Vast of Night are told is truly captivating.

The movie toggles between those engrossing conversations and incredible cinematography. When characters are discussing theories or sharing experiences, it’s easy to hang on every word. And when dialogue is absent, The Vast of Night does phenomenal camera work, including an eerie 4-minute one-take journey through the empty streets of Cayuga.

I only wish The Vast of Night had been less Twilight Zone themed. To honor the classic series, I would’ve preferred hints of references rather than an adoption of Twilight Zone features.

It’s a minor gripe for this strong directorial debut from Andrew Patterson. I loved the experience. In fact, I’d say my enjoyment of this investigation of the unknown is probably about as vast as the night.

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MoviesThomas Stoneham-JudgeJune 5, 2020the vast of night, movie review, andrew patterson, sierra mccormick, jake horowitz, Amazon Prime VideoComment