Interstellar
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, and Michael Caine.
Rated PG-13 for some intense perilous action and brief strong language.
One of the year's most highly anticipated films from acclaimed director Christopher Nolan has finally hit the big screen. Expectations for this huge film could not have been higher, and perhaps such expectations were completely unreasonable. I do not believe Interstellar can be fully appreciated or condemned simply based on one viewing, so keep that in mind while reading my review: my thoughts and opinions are predicated on a single viewing. Interstellar may be one of the most ambitious movies you'll ever see, and while it reaches some amazing heights of filmmaking, it does not do so without some stumbles along the way.
Nolan is notorious for not wanting his films spoiled, which I greatly respect, so my plot synopsis will be brief. In the near future Earth has exhausted its agricultural resources and must look for a new planet to inhabit. Led by engineer and pilot, Cooper (McConaughey), a team of NASA astronauts must travel to another galaxy through a wormhole in the attempt to find a new home for mankind.
Let's start with the positives. Nolan always has a great look to his films with beautiful cinematography, and Interstellar is no exception. The film is beautiful to look at, particularly the sequences in space. The acting is solid across the board, but make no mistake, this is Matthew McConaughey's show. He is required to display a wide range of emotions, and in my opinion, he gives a better performance here than he did in his Oscar winning performance last year. Don't get me wrong, he was very deserving of his win for Dallas Buyers Club, but he showcases some amazing talent here as Cooper. The score by the amazingly innovative Hans Zimmer represents the skills he has shown time and time again, and yet it is also unlike anything else he's ever done. I loved it. Though this is quite possibly Nolan's most emotional film, the director's strengths still lie in his ability to construct amazingly complex and intense scenes with astounding visuals.
Now, despite the fact this is one of the most unique and spectacular theater experiences I've ever had (seriously, see it in IMAX if you decide to go), the film is not without its flaws. I would have liked to have seen more of the devastated and exhausted state of the Earth outside of Cooper's little farming community. It was difficult to feel the potential of humanity's future extinction when we only see a handful of characters on Earth. Because the film deals with enormously complex ideas and theories, there are many areas where things just don't make sense. Lots of questions just don't get answered; perhaps Nolan has the answers but just wants audiences to discuss the possibilities or the potential holes. That's one thing this film does well: you will be thinking and talking about it for possibly hours after you see it. The cast in this film is huge, but some talent is wasted. Casey Affleck is a fine actor, but he is given almost nothing to do with very little screen time.
The problem with highly complex sci-fi films like this is that suddenly everybody becomes a critic, or in this case, everybody becomes a scientist who wrote a dissertation either in the theory of relativity or the singularity of a black hole. Guess what? Most of you didn't; I didn't either. People also forget the most important word in this genre's label: science-fiction. This is fiction, folks. Even if it's presented as science and reality with some research to back it up (renowned physicist Kip Thorne both consulted and produced the movie), it really is just another piece of fiction, the same as a Marvel film.
Now, even though I do not believe this is Nolan's masterpiece (I reserve that title for Inception), I cannot help but admire the filmmaker's fearless nature. Honestly, you'll be hard-pressed to find one or two other filmmakers working today who would dare to attempt a film like this. People will argue over the film's themes and theories, but what if Interstellar is a just a simple story about a father and a daughter told on the largest canvas possible? I can't fault Nolan for trying, even if he doesn't always succeed.
Interstellar may not end up on my Top 10 of all time, but I cannot deny the fact that seeing this film in IMAX was one of the most mesmerizing theater experiences I've ever had. Who knows, I could end up loving this film the more I see it, but I could also find more faults. But that's what I love about films like this: I need to see it more to really determine how I feel about it. I also love that I'm still thinking about it nearly twenty-four hours later. This is a movie that could go either way for the individual audience member. You're just going to have to see it for yourself to see where you lie on the debate. One thing's for sure....you will be talking about it long after you leave the theater.
RATING: B+
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