Interstellar Review.

Hi and welcome to my review of Interstellar.

Before you read please be aware of spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film, watch it first then return to read
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Christopher Nolan has delivered, in my opinion, a sci-fi film that will divide opinions of movie goers just as it has with the critics. Ratings vary from an immediate classic of our time to a confusing film that is way to long. I deliberately kept myself away from the movie previews as I wanted to see the film and make up my own mind. Most of the detractors pay attention to the length of the film and the science involved. Yes, at almost 3 hours it seems long, but in actual fact the film didn't seem to be over long at all. In fact I thought the pace was handled very well and at no point did I feel it was dragging on. I felt that the science explanations were done purely for the audiences benefit, as the characters wouldn't need that much explanation. Much of it sank in, but you do have to let a lot of it go over your head and worry about that part of the film after you have left the cinema. It reminded me of another of Nolan's films Inception which I'm still having problems getting my head around.

Let's take a look at the plot. Interstellar is based on the ideas of theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, specifically the notion that while we observe the universe in three dimensions, there could be at least five dimensions, which is paramount in understanding the ending of the film. Basically, in the not so far off future our time on earth is coming to an end due to the Blight. Food is in very short supply and the only crop grown is corn. Matthew McConaughey's character Cooper runs a sweet corn farm, living with his teenage son and 10 year old daughter and his dead wife's father.

At the center of the film is the relationship between Cooper and his daughter Murph, which as the film progresses is a critical component of the outcome of the movie. Cooper just happens to be a former NASA pilot and after discovering an underground NASA secret base headed by a scientist and an old friend of Cooper, Professor Brand, played by Nolan regular Michael Caine, and Brand's daughter, played by yet another Nolan favourite Anne Hathaway, he learns of their plan to travel to a worm hole that has been discovered within our galaxy, which they promise if traveled through will lead mankind to a new planet that will sustain human life. The worm hole has been created by "They" and "They" are helping humans to carry out this journey into the unknown with the help of messages being sent to earth. Cooper has to make the difficult decision to leave his family behind, but knows that in order for humanity to survive he has little choice.

As we follow the space travelers the film also keeps us up to date with the lives of the family Cooper left back on earth as they age and in some cases die. Cooper is kept up to date of his family with video transmissions from his son, Casey Affleck, but not his daughter, grown up and played by Jessica Chastain, as she is angry that her father had abandoned her. As the movie progresses we learn the plight of the explorers and their dilema, and the choices they have to make.

This is not purely a film about space travel it is equally a story of the power of the human spirit to overcome obstacles that are put in our way. It is a drama that literally transcends space and time, and if you are willing to go for the ride then you will be thoroughly entertained. People will obviously compare it to other sci-fi classics, that's inevitable, but on its own Nolan has yet again made a movie of pure genius. Matthew McConaughey as the lead is perfect for this role as he has shown recently he really is an outstanding actor who is simply getting better with every movie he undertakes.

What is extraordinary is that the effects of the solar system created by Nolan using absolutely no green screen, and everything you see, including the space ships were built on a sound stage, and with the use of projectors to show the visuals of space. Even the planets which the explorers visited were real locations on earth including Iceland. The movie is a visual masterpiece of cinematography and will, I believe, be viewed as a classic in the future.

Poet Dylan Thomas is quoted by Michael Caine in the movie: ”Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rage at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”




Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.