*WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Christopher Nolan films aren’t just films; they’re events. Although he completed his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar has been treated like it is the next great blockbuster (as much in the same league we’re anticipating the next DC/Marvel movie). Even continuing his trend to deliver trailers and TV spots that reveal little details about the plot.
The movie revolves around Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) who was once a pilot, now farmer in a Dust Bowl type future. The Earth is running out of food, even down to the last food resource; corn. He is also a widowed father of two children (as with the majority of Christopher Nolan’s films, main protagonist’s wife/love interest either has died or won’t last very long) but yet still has a craving for exploration (even learning that teachers at his children’s schools have new editions of books saying the moon landings were fake). He eventually comes across his old mentor, Prof. Brand (Michael Caine) and his daughter Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway). They reveal the Earth is dying, so they have been building a space shuttle and needs Cooper to be the pilot. Their mission; to go through a wormhole that will lead to a different galaxy and find a habitable planet.
The movie is probably the most ambitious movie Christopher Nolan has made in his career. He continues to deliver a science fiction movie with challenging ideas and concepts about space travel (as he did with the concepts of dreams in Inception). Though this was originally intended to be directed by Steven Spielberg (based on a script by Chris Nolan’s brother, Jonathan Nolan) and this movie clearly shows Spielberg’s trademark about family (especially focusing on a father character like Jaws and Munich). Nolan has been known to focus more on the ideas than the characters 
themselves, and you can clearly see that struggle to try balance the two. Though it does work for the most part and it’s all down to McConaughey being cast as the lead. He has certainly been having a huge career change and this film is no exception. If Mud, Dallas Buyers Club and True Detective proved anything, it is that he can be just as involving as he is likeable in his rom-com days. His craving to venture to the unknown is pretty much anyone’s curiosity and makes his motivation to help his family (and the human race) somewhat relatable. Even McConaughey delivers an incredibly emotional performance in one particular scene as he’s watching video messages of his children growing older. If Gravity showed that working in space is no fun and games, Interstellar shows us that space travel is not all that fun as Star Trek likes to make us believe (or wants us to). Especially dealing with relativity; every hour they spend, 7 years have passed on Earth (similar to The Forever War). The stand-out performance has to be character of Murph, played brilliantly by Mackenzie Foy and Jessica Chastain. She is the emotional core of the movie and drives the narrative forward.
The visual effects in this movie is absolutely mind-blowing. The use of both miniatures and CGI both seamlessly mix together. Nolan has been known to do everything real as possible and uses that effect in great use here. Pushing the envelope to make the cinematic experience as immersive the medium can deliver. Even creating inventive and charismatic robots as TARS and CASE (more friendly version of HAL 9000, if you will). The beautiful and stark cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema (Let the Right One In, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and Her) brings the alien but familiar planets to life. Though using different contrast of colours, using grey and blue for space travel scenes and using browns with scenes set on Earth. Hans Zimmer’s score rings back to 2001: A Space Odyssey (a movie Nolan has said he used as the biggest influence, as well as Star Wars and Alien on the production design), extending the huge scope of the movie and also creating genuine tension.
If there were one or two nitpicks to have with this movie, it has to do with the pacing. At times, the 3 hour long duration wasn’t noticeable. Though dealing with two story-lines at once felt a bit jumbled at times, yet Nolan was able to accomplish this with three to four scenarios at once seamlessly in Inception. Also, some of the character motivations seem a bit unfocused or rather force fed to us. Nolan’s dialogue, while very well written, seems to be a bit too analytical about its themes and ideas. The scientific theories is all very interesting but could’ve been condensed down. Some of the characters were also hard to be involved with and mainly because they were underwritten (like character of Tom, who gets overshadowed by Murph). Also, the ending will most likely split opinions. Without giving too much away; it basically leaves you to interpretation and suggestion (just like Memento and Inception). How you will feel about that is entirely up to you.
Overall; Inception is still the best Christopher Nolan sci-fi movie but this still stands as an exceptional film of the genre. It does reach to great heights and delivers the spectacle. The cast deliver great performances, especially from Foy and Chastain. It just doesn’t quite reach its grasp.
4 out of 5
