Written by Anthony Watkins
Our world is dying. Vicious dust storms punctuate the Earth, ravaging everything in their path. Because of a massive food scarcity, humankind has reverted back to subsistence farming in order to survive. Nevertheless, blight (rapid decaying and death of plants) has begun to lay waste to the precious fields that still provide decent food to humans. As a result, humanity is on the brink of extinction. The only possible solution? To look up to the heavens, to the stars that shine above us every night, providing a glimmer of hope. To quote Dr. Brand (Michael Caine) in the film, “We’re not meant to save this world, we’re meant to leave it.” Such is the premise for Christopher Nolan’s latest science-fiction film, Interstellar.
Matthew McConaughey, fresh off his award-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc Valee, 2013), plays our protagonist “Cooper," a widowed former pilot and engineer who is selected by Dr. Brand (Michael Caine) as part of a team to leave Earth in search of a new home for humanity. McConaughey delivers another strong performance in a very emotional role. In the film, Cooper opts to leave his two children behind in order to find us a new home. His 10 year old daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy) does not take his decision very well, as she begs him to stay. Nevertheless, Cooper remains steadfast in his decision, but promises to come back.
Cooper will undoubtedly be the character audiences will identify with the most in this film. He has a family, a dream, and extremely difficult decisions to face throughout the film, including whether to see his family again or to save humanity. His daughter Murph, mission member Amelia (Anne Hathaway) and her father Dr. Brand are other well-developed characters in Interstellar. Beyond these, however, characters in the film start becoming one dimensional. It is important to note that director Christopher Nolan focused on the scientific accuracy and theories of the film, even going as far as hiring renowned physicist Kip Thorne as Executive Producer and consultant to the project. As a result, he leaves little room to develop the other characters. Also at 167 minutes, it’s a long ride with a relatively slow beginning. Regardless, the pacing picks up, and the audience becomes immersed in the spectacle and story of Interstellar. Nolan has once again provided an original, well-written screenplay that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride through the fabrics of space and time. The visual effects, while (in my opinion) not quite up to par with Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron, 2013), are in themselves a spectacle to behold, especially when viewed in IMAX. Nolan filmed the majority of Interstellar with IMAX cameras. As a result the picture is fully utilized on an IMAX screen, particularly a theater with a 70mm film projector. If at all possible, I definitely recommend seeing it in this format.
Matthew McConaughey, fresh off his award-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc Valee, 2013), plays our protagonist “Cooper," a widowed former pilot and engineer who is selected by Dr. Brand (Michael Caine) as part of a team to leave Earth in search of a new home for humanity. McConaughey delivers another strong performance in a very emotional role. In the film, Cooper opts to leave his two children behind in order to find us a new home. His 10 year old daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy) does not take his decision very well, as she begs him to stay. Nevertheless, Cooper remains steadfast in his decision, but promises to come back.
Cooper will undoubtedly be the character audiences will identify with the most in this film. He has a family, a dream, and extremely difficult decisions to face throughout the film, including whether to see his family again or to save humanity. His daughter Murph, mission member Amelia (Anne Hathaway) and her father Dr. Brand are other well-developed characters in Interstellar. Beyond these, however, characters in the film start becoming one dimensional. It is important to note that director Christopher Nolan focused on the scientific accuracy and theories of the film, even going as far as hiring renowned physicist Kip Thorne as Executive Producer and consultant to the project. As a result, he leaves little room to develop the other characters. Also at 167 minutes, it’s a long ride with a relatively slow beginning. Regardless, the pacing picks up, and the audience becomes immersed in the spectacle and story of Interstellar. Nolan has once again provided an original, well-written screenplay that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride through the fabrics of space and time. The visual effects, while (in my opinion) not quite up to par with Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron, 2013), are in themselves a spectacle to behold, especially when viewed in IMAX. Nolan filmed the majority of Interstellar with IMAX cameras. As a result the picture is fully utilized on an IMAX screen, particularly a theater with a 70mm film projector. If at all possible, I definitely recommend seeing it in this format.
Of all the films over the years shown in IMAX, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar is perhaps the best candidate to see in the format.
Although the visual effects are certainly a selling point for Interstellar, the themes of its thought-provoking story are what sets it apart from other contemporary science-fiction films such as Michael Bay's Transformers series or even J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009). Nolan drew inspiration for the film from Metropolis (Lang, 1927), 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968), and Blade Runner (Scott, 1982). Blade Runner examined what it means to be human, and how the gift of life is the most important element to humans. Stanley Kubrick's 2001 is remembered as a film that explored humanity’s place in our universe, where we came from, how we evolved, and where we are going in the future. Interstellar likewise fully explores this notion, as mankind is pushed to the brink of extinction. 2001: A Space Odyssey was famous for its vagueness and unexplained phenomena presented on screen. It left room for a lot of interpretation and its ending is still being debated almost half a century later. Interstellar, on the other hand, seeks to explain these phenomena in detail. It has answers for the who, why, and how presented in 2001 and fully explains itself. Nevertheless, the ending of the film will leave you sitting in your seat staring at the screen as the credits roll, trying to piece everything together. With Inception (2010), Nolan proved he is capable of pulling off a complex storyline, and he achieves the same result with Interstellar. The result is you will likely need to re-watch the film and go on the journey a second time.
The film also succeeds due to its balance of grand imagery and spectacle with deep and intimate human drama. Nolan stated in interviews prior to the film’s release that Interstellar was his most personal film to date, and it’s easy to see why after your first viewing. It should be noted that Nolan also drew inspiration from Steven Spielberg’s pioneering films Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), as these films emphasized a strong family element. Nolan emulates this in Interstellar, specifically with Cooper and his daughter Murph.
The film also succeeds due to its balance of grand imagery and spectacle with deep and intimate human drama. Nolan stated in interviews prior to the film’s release that Interstellar was his most personal film to date, and it’s easy to see why after your first viewing. It should be noted that Nolan also drew inspiration from Steven Spielberg’s pioneering films Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), as these films emphasized a strong family element. Nolan emulates this in Interstellar, specifically with Cooper and his daughter Murph.
In Interstellar, Nolan presents and emphasizes deep family relationships and intimacy through the relationship between Cooper (McConaughey) and his daughter Murph (Foy).
Overall, Nolan’s space odyssey is not only a great thrill ride to the far reaches of the cosmos, but also a touching, intriguing, and inspiring space drama that comments on our nature as humans and our place in the infinite universe in which we were set. With our planet deteriorating by getting older and older each passing year, it’s not even entirely impossible that the situation presented in the film could become a reality. In any case, Nolan is proposing audiences to utilize our past iconic accomplishments of landing on the moon and space travel to find a solution. And with the film’s strong commentary on the importance of relationships, by the end of the film you’ll be holding your family and loved ones just a bit closer. Interstellar is in theaters in 70mm IMAX, 70mm, and 35mm. I highly recommend a trip to the cinemas to take the ride and experience Nolan’s unique space adventure.
In case you haven't seen it, below is the second released trailer for Interstellar. This trailer in particular showcases the balance between the grand, epic space odyssey and the deep, emotional human drama.
In case you haven't seen it, below is the second released trailer for Interstellar. This trailer in particular showcases the balance between the grand, epic space odyssey and the deep, emotional human drama.
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