Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
IMAX has gifted audiences the chance to see Christopher Nolan’s space epic in theaters again! Earth is quickly becoming uninhabitable for humans. Cooper, a former NASA pilot turned farmer, gets the opportunity to explore space to find a new home for humanity. With a driven team of scientists at his side, time is ticking to find a new home. The longer they explore space, time dwindles on earth. As the earth ages, Cooper must adapt his plan to make sure he can return home to his family while finding a solution for earth’s demise.
Positives:
“Interstellar” is one of those movies that transcends time (no pun intended). It is a highly discussed film amongst both critics and audiences. It is a memorable experience that wonderfully combines the tone of a sci-fi epic with the drama of a story about humanity. Witnessing this in IMAX again was truly something special. It has to be one of the most impressive presentations of a film in that format I’ve ever seen. Seeing the imagery on a screen that massive combined with earth shattering sound was an experience that felt like I was somewhere else. The special effects used to create space felt otherworldly. It’s impressive that Nolan and his team were able to make audiences feel like they were journeying into the unknown to this degree. It makes the fact that the film came out ten years ago that much crazier. The crisp imagery of the stars and planets are impressive to this day. It makes me want to dissect the process in which Nolan’s team crafted these scenes.
The cast is a huge reason why the film succeeds. Matthew McConaughey was in the peak of his career when the film was originally released. Coming hot off the success of “Dallas Buyers Club”, he turns in one of his most memorable performances. His character was so ready to leave earth and look for a new home that he was willing to leave his family behind to do so. But as the film progresses, we see a major arc from Cooper, wanting to return home to his family by any means necessary. His character anchors the themes about humanity beautifully by the film’s conclusion. Anne Hathaway also turns in an excellent supporting performance as Cooper’s partner on the mission. As their philosophies collide, we see the nuances between their characters and the complexity of their relationship evolve the longer they are forced to endure the cold abyss. Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, and Wes Bentley all offer supporting performances that enhance the grandeur of the story. I remember finding out that Matt Damon was in the film as a surprise when his character first showed up. His short but sharp role was a surprise that was imperative to the film’s resolution.
But my favorite part of the film was the message about humanity. Perhaps I didn’t notice it as much when the film originally released. I’ll admit the spectacle was the part that stood out the most upon an initial viewing. While the special effects and immersive nature are undoubtedly impressive, the journey that the characters go on really resonated with me. As each of the scientists embark on the mission, they are originally driven by ambition and the idea of finding another home. But as the story progresses, they are humbled by the harsh environment of these substitute planets and the loneliness that comes with such a mission. They each yearn for a connection they felt back home, straining the desire to continue pressing forward. How each comes to appreciate their home on earth and the relationships they developed comes full circle as they travel through space. There are some extremely emotional scenes that showcase this theme, especially when the characters are watching the videos sent from their loved ones back home. I’ll admit I was going through some emotions when the crew was watching their loved ones age and share the lives they built while they were gone. These sequences truly left an impact on me and are a nice reminder that fixing the home we have here should be the first priority. Keeping loved ones close and cherishing each moment with them is what the human connection is all about. I love that Nolan was able to flesh out these ideas in the middle of an enormous space epic. Interstellar truly does it all and I loved getting to experience it all over again.
Negatives:
I applaud the ambition Christopher Nolan applies to the film. That being said, that same ambition creates unnecessary convoluted elements that hinder the brilliance of the film. I’d say the first seventy five percent is a near perfect experience. But the final act takes some bold swings that really challenge logic, forcing me to drop my score a bit. No matter how many times I watch the film, these elements still don’t add up. With the logic that the film implies for much of the runtime, it seems that Nolan abandons it when Cooper makes the choice to send Brand to Edmond’s planet. As Cooper is transported through the black hole (already a stretch), the bookshelf sequence is still the part of the story that doesn’t work for me. Not only does the logic of the scene fall apart, but the reasoning behind future humans designing these portals and jumps in time due to scientific evolution is hard to get on board with. Based on the previous difficulties that humanity had in proceeding with the mission alone, there is a lot of grey area that the film quickly tries to tie up. I feel as if Nolan tries to rely on the idea that the science might make sense to him and his writers, while audiences might overlook the logic gaps since the science presented might be too complex. No matter how many times I try to break down the resolution or listen to other people’s takeaways, I simply can’t give the conclusion a pass. Even if I grasp the concept I still don’t think it’s completely satisfactory. Nolan also struggles with the sound mixing during the louder space sequences. There are certain dialogue scenes that are drowned out due to the loud background noise. Unfortunately this is an area where Nolan has struggles in his other films.
Conclusion:
Christopher Nolan’s grand space epic is often powerful, epic, and thought provoking. I’d even argue that it has some of the best emotional sequences he’s ever crafted. There is plenty for the audience to chew on, featuring state of the art world building, transportive big screen special effects, and some great ideas about humanity channeled through excellent performances. The film falls short of excellence due to some lofty ambitions that never come full circle. The convoluted nature of the final act fractures what was largely a great story. Everything before that was challenging, but there was enough for audiences to grasp the concepts. Even so, “Interstellar” is a film that will continue to impress as the years go by. I’ll always support an ambitious film that has original ideas. This was a real treat to experience on the big screen ten years later!
