In so many ways, Interstellar is the most ambitious film from Christopher Nolan, a filmmaker whose career boasts a resume that never half-asses it when it comes to delivering an immersive cinematic experience, make you constantly think (if not scratch your head numerous times) and have you firmly parked in your movie theater seat for at least two and a half hours. His latest visionary endeavor is a tour de force sci-fi epic that reaches for the stars and delivers breathtaking visuals in nothing less than the stunning 70mm IMAX format.
Nolan isn’t one to tread through anything lightly, and Interstellar is no different. His near three hour long thinkers space opera is geared more for moviegoers who can keep up with high concept science fiction based on science theory, with a lot of unexpected emotional pulls at the heartstrings added in.
The layered screenplay, by the brothers Nolan, Christopher and Jonathan, pulls no punches when it concerns intricately weaving together typically mind-bending scientific concepts like relatively, time dilation and (why not?) five dimensional space. You need to be fully prepared for a mind hijack because there is no time for falling behind on the grand scheme at work, so your thinker’s helmet better be strapped on tight. But let’s be honest here, are you film snob-ish enough to believe you took in every single nuance in The Prestige or Inception in the first viewing?
In the near future, Earth has been ravaged by an agricultural crisis officially known as “The Blight,” and has left all crops but corn to waste. Vicious dust storms are also a constant threat and the planet, houses inside and out covered in a layer of ash that isn’t a help to the health of humanity’s lungs. Earth has a nothing less than a hopeless future and will be a sustainable home for perhaps one further generation at best.
Matthew McConaughey plays Cooper, a former pilot and engineer, now a dad who spends his days raising two kids with his father-in-law (John Lithgow) and farming precious corn. Via a cryptic message found in what appears to be a gravitational anomaly, Cooper and his daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy) are lead to NORAD’s secret NASA underground compound headed by Professor Brand (Michael Caine).
Plans are revealed to Cooper for what is likely mankind’s last hope for salvation away from their dying planet. Years earlier a wormhole suddenly appeared in close orbit to Saturn, and from twelve later manned missions through that portal in space that directly led to another galaxy, potential new home worlds have been selected for further exploration and possible colonization. Plan A involves recruiting Cooper to pilot the NASA super secret starship Endurance along with its crew of scientists Brand (Anne Hathaway), Doyle (Wes Bentley), Romilly (David Gyasi) and the mandatory robot TARS (voiced by Bill Irwin), to establish which planet is the most suitable to transport humanity to. There is of course, a Plan B if things don’t follow the best case scenario, and we’ll leave that at that.
For Coop leaving home on the most important mission ever is not easy since Murph, for all intents and purposes, disowns her father for accepting the gig, fearing she’ll never see him again. The journey to Saturn alone takes two years, and that’s just getting to the starting gate. Once Endurance (theoretically) and successfully navigates its way through the wormhole (in the first of the film’s many spectacular sequences), it becomes a literal race against time to save humanity. With the physical laws of time dilation working against them, every hour spent exploring the alien planets are equal to years, possibly decades, passing by on Earth. Any setback means there may not be any people left at home waiting for salvation.
No spoilers in revealing that the Endurance crew makes it to other side and explore new worlds, which offers more opportunities to deliver amazing scenes in IMAX. But to go further into the plot in detail beyond this point in the movie would be a disservice to fans who wish to enjoy the various twists and turns the story takes. Truth be told even reading up every online update or leak on the movie I feared I knew too much about the film, thankfully in reality I knew very little. And that was awesome.
I feel these days a movie has to really earn the right to keep you there for almost three hours. You know you’re watching something special if you’re not twitching in your seat by the 150 minute mark. The way Interstellar is structured in major steps, the story definitely keeps you guessing throughout the rather generous length of the film, and certainly works its way down a one hell of a memorable payoff.
The homages to Kubrick’s 1968 ground breaking masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey will in no way sneak by movie fans. Spectacular outer space beauty shots and alien world landscapes are well on display. You can see some Solaris in there as well, but Interstellar is by far more mainstream than both of them. In the post-Gravity world of sci-fi, there are several spectacular action moments that take place in the vacuum of space with the complete absence of sound.
The film is as much about finding salvation for mankind as much as its about the incredible bond that exists between a father and daughter. The connection between Coop and Murph (the older version played by Jessica Chastain) is something heavily played upon here. The extent of which is new ground for both Nolan and a film like this, and adds an unexpected deep soul to what otherwise could be just a cold search and rescue space opera.
A good portion of the film was shot on 70mm IMAX, which is a rare treat to say the least. The incredibly sharp footage, which can come up as single establishing shots to entire gripping action sequences, are pretty much jaw dropping. I screened it in full 70mm IMAX in NYC and that is hands down the best way to experience this film on full throttle.
McConaughey has the bulk of the film on his shoulders, and is given a few heavy scenes. Despite their separation, its the scenes between Coop and Murph that ground the emotional core of the film. There are no weak links in the cast, and they all put in their due diligence for good of the story. There are imperfect characters who make question decisions which result in dire consequences (nobody said this wasn’t going to be a bumpy ride), which add to the anything can happen at any time pacing of the film.
Interstellar is another brave move on Nolan’s part. It succeeds incredibly with its stunning visuals and groundbreaking out of this world set pieces. The unexpected emotional side to the story gives the film a unique feel to it, but may be the make or break factor in regards to how you feel leaving the theater. At the heart of all the intergalactic traveling to alien worlds, it tries very hard to ground a human element in the vast epic tale that stetehcs to and fro mind bending places in the space time continuum.It won’t sucker punch you hard in the brain in the way Inception did, but will certainly test your stamina in high concept sci-fi existential zone.
Interstellar hits select theaters on November 5th in 70mm IMAX and opens everywhere on November 7th.
REVIEW RATING: ★★★½★★
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck
Screenwriters: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 169 minutes
Leave a Reply