Interstellar (2014) Movie Review

What happens when the world is dying? When the human race is given their doomsday clock, and we have the slimmest chance for survival, does man fight for his existence, or simply walk hand in hand into extinction? The beauty of Interstellar, the latest film from Christopher Nolan, is that it asks you questions, then sets out to answer those questions. And it makes you, not only want, but need to talk about the film after you leave. I found myself thinking about aspects and concepts and ideas late into the night. What Interstellar made me ask myself (and the local Cineplex patron who, then, asked me politely to leave) is “If a big budget blockbuster can be this polarizing and ambitious, why do we settle for anything less?”

Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a farmer living off his corn production, in a world where the planet seems to slowly be dying. Earth seems to be rejecting our attempts to save it, and our end may indeed be in sight. There is dust everywhere, increasing as the planet becomes less habitable. Thing is, Cooper is also an engineer, capable pilot, and a man of science. He seeks to explain everything logically, trying to instill this nature into his son Tom (Timothee Chalamet) and daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy). When Cooper and Murph notice something off with the way dust settles in Murph's room, it sets them on a path that sends Cooper into space in search for human survival. It is really hard to talk about the plot of this movie generally, because so much of the plot relies on specifics, and I don't want to spoil anything.

What Christopher Nolan is able to, in terms of pulling you into this world and accepting the questions the characters are asking, and the stakes with which they live, is nothing short of extraordinary. The film is clearly a love letter to films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, and, like that movie, it is truly an experience. There are moments of true beauty that Nolan mines, whether it is a ship passing by a planet, only illuminated by the faint light of the sun, or glimpsing into a wormhole, or simply the embrace of family. I can't remember a movie that gave me such a sense of wonder and phenomenon. It's a blockbuster movie that seeks to stimulate you, and test you, as it never feels like Nolan is pandering, instead feeling like he is asking you to rise to his own level.

The performances in the film are all universally strong. Leading the charge is McConaughey, who gives a wonderfully layered performance. Cooper is a complex man who strives for simplicity, and it is fantastically embodied. One particular scene, in which he catches up on things he's missed will leave a lump in your throat. Equally as good is Jessica Chastain, who has made a career out of playing strong-willed women, as the adult version of Murph. There isn't a lot to say about her performance without ruining key points within the movie, so I'll just say it's quite good. Same goes for Anne Hatheway, playing Brandt, who is another astronaut going along with Cooper. The supporting performances from the likes of Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, Matt Damon, Topher Grace, Wes Bentley, Bill Irwin and Michael Caine are all strong as well. Not really a weak performance in the house, as is generally the deal with a Nolan movie.

Written by his brother Jonathan Nolan, and with the advisory of American theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, this is a beautiful and full realized film about space exploration that also uses accurate scientific (as far as I can tell, still waiting for Neil Degrasse Tyson to call bullshit on something). It totally invokes a sense of wonder, while giving full realized characters and ideas to explore. Also, it's pretty damn hilarious at times. Interstellar is shot wonderfully by Hoyte Van Hoytema, and Hans Zimmer brings the entire thing to life with another excellent score (though, at times, it was incredibly overpowering).

Yes, the movie suffers from problems. It's probably 20 minutes too long for most people. And the last 35 minutes or so could have been handled better. But those did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the film. And for those worried about the close to 3 hour runtime, if you immerse yourself into the movie, you won't notice it. And while I've heard people say it was boring, or too complicated, I would easily watch a movie willing to take risks and explore large ideas on a large scale than another Transformers movie (which we are getting because you fuckers won't stop seeing them).

Ultimately, this is unlike any film Nolan has made before; it's not a cat-and-mouse game like Memento and Insomnia, or a mind-bending thriller like Inception. It's a look into human nature and how we, as a species, will always seek to survive. At it's heart, Interstellar is a love letter to grand filmmakers of the past, seen through the veil of a man's journey to see his daughter again.

Grade: A

*Note: If you do plan on seeing it in theatres, see it in IMAX.