“We used to wonder about our place in the stars. Now, we just worry about our place in the dirt.”
The H-Bomb: The Earth is dying. Food is becoming more and more scarce as giant dust storms sweep across the entire planet. Humanity as a whole is no longer interested in discovery or invention, but mere survival. Former NASA pilot, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), is now resigned to minding his farm with his two kids, Murph (Mackenzie Foy) and Tom (Timothee Chalamet), and his father-in-law, Donald (John Lithgow), as he laments the sorry state of the world.
One evening, Cooper discovers these coordinates that lead him to a secret underground facility, where NASA, headed by his old friend and mentor, Professor Brand (Michael Caine), is working on a secret project to save humanity… by finding a new world to inhabit. A wormhole to another star system has been discovered near Saturn, and now Cooper has been recruited to pilot a mission that will take a team of scientists, including Brand’s daughter, Amelia (Anne Hathaway), out into deep space, to find a new home for the human race.
That’s about all the plot I’m going to talk about, since Interstellar truly is the sort of motion picture where the less you know going in, the better. Let’s just say, things don’t exactly go according to plan, for Cooper or his fellow space travelers. Complications arise, and shit happens… as usual.
It’s no secret that I am an enormous admirer of director Christopher Nolan, to the point where if you wanted to call me a fanboy, I’d probably have to agree. In my view, the man has never made a bad film, and just about every film he has made has either been a masterpiece, or damn close to one. After his grand finale to his Batman saga, The Dark Knight Rises, I figured the only way Nolan could go any bigger, or bolder, is if he went into outer space, and that is precisely what he has done.
I’m not sure if the words even exist to describe Interstellar in a way that would do it any kind of justice. Is it epic? Um… does a fish piss in the ocean? Kind of goes without saying. Co-written with his brother, Jonathan Nolan, this tale of exploration and survival is far and away the most ambitious project the filmmaker has ever tackled. This is everything one would expect a Christopher Nolan film set in outer space to be; thrilling, cerebral, emotional… sometimes all at once. Perhaps it gets too cerebral for its own good at points, but I’ll get to that in a moment.
Above all else, Interstellar is a film about hope, love, and family. About parents and children, and about the sacrifices one will make for the other. When Cooper embarks on his journey, he’s not thinking of the entire human race so much as he is his own children, and what he has to do to ensure they have a future. The theme of family is one that has cropped up in a number of Nolan’s features, though it’s never been as prevalent as it is here, as it is the driving force, not only for Cooper, but for a number of the other characters, as well.
Nolan has often been accused of being emotionally distant with his movies. This time, however, anyone who makes that claim has no leg to stand on, as this is one of the most emotionally charged, and draining, films I have seen this year. Ever since Batman Begins, this director has been making blockbusters with a brain. Well, this particular blockbuster has a brain and a heart, and by the time it’s over, it packs one hell of a cathartic punch.
That’s not to say that Interstellar is a big, weepy, sentimental sap-fest, because it isn’t, at all. It is, first and foremost, a dazzling adventure through space and time, with some absolutely stunning space imagery that rivals last year’s Gravity. If this beast is playing in 70mm, on a real IMAX screen near you, then that is absolutely the way to experience it. Not see it, mind you, experience it. With jaw dropping cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema, and a majestic score by Hans Zimmer, this intensely immersive ride is well worth the twenty dollar ticket.
For all the technical wizardry the film has going for it, it does lose a step when it comes to the script. As great as Inception is, it often gets bogged down in its heavily expository dialogue, and Interstellar is plagued with the exact same problem. The Nolan Brothers try their damnedest to make the scientific mumbo jumbo understandable for general audiences, but there are instances, particularly when they try to explain time relativity, where it just gets downright confounding. There were many moments where I simply had to say, “Fuck it,” and just go with it, though I can guarantee there will be plenty of audiences who won’t be willing to do the same.
Speaking of confounding, there’s a sequence that comes in the film’s final act that will have many scratching their heads and asking straight up, “What the fuck?” Visually, it’s the most brilliant and mesmerizing sequence in the film. In terms of what is actually happening, however, it is so way the hell out there that it could be a major turn off for many. Let’s just say that things take a turn towards 2001, and like the final act of that great film, this just ain’t going to be for everyone.
I’m sure that everyone will agree, love or hate the film, that McConaughey is fantastic in it. Ever since his career renaissance, he’s been on fire, constantly challenging himself as an actor, and here, he’s burning hotter than ever. He is the movie’s heart and soul, and his commanding, complex performance holds it together, even when the exposition heavy dialogue threatens to tear it apart. He is backed up with fine supporting turns by Hathaway, Lithgow, Caine, Jessica Chastain, and a surprise appearance by a very recognizable actor I won’t give away (don’t visit the film’s IMDb page, it totally spoils it).
My personal favorite of the ensemble, though, has to be Bill Irwin as the voice of TARS, a Rubick’s Cube-like robot with a very human personality. He brought some much needed levity to the proceedings, and if anything, the film could have used more of him.
Chris Nolan has always “gone for it” with his pictures, and with Interstellar, he goes for it in a way that he’s never gone for it before. He doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator, nor is he afraid to risk failure. With its heady plot and a near three-hour running time, Interstellar is a tremendous risk. But great risk can yield great reward, and this science fiction opus is, in my ever humble opinion, Mr. Nolan’s most rewarding film yet.
