Interstellar: Review

Like many people, I was incredibly excited to see Interstellar. Christopher Nolan is yet to release a film which is anything below incredible, and so my hopes for this epic space odyssey were set considerably high. The trailers released gave away nothing but a sense of mystery and adventure, which certainly didn't quell my anticipation. And so when I sat down in my seat in the cinema, I was phenomenally eager to see whether or not it could fully live up to the hype. In short: it most certainly did. 

Cooper (Matthew McConaughey)

The film is set in the near future, on an Earth which is gradually becoming inhabitable. The only job worth anything is now farming, due to the immense shortage of food which is plaguing humanity. The actual choice of substance available has dwindled to primarily corn, which adorns the hundreds of acres covering the now barren planet. We are immediately introduced to Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), whose previous job as a pilot for NASA ended with a devastating crash, and who now lives off of his farm with his two children Murph (Mackenzie Foy) and Tom (Timothee Chalmet). But Cooper's never stopped dreaming of the stars. Through a series of events, Cooper and Murph stumble upon a hidden NASA base, and soon Cooper is given the chance to find another biologically-compatible world which humanity can move to. The problem is though, that this would mean leaving his two children for a potentially unimaginable amount of time, due to the required use of interstellar travel. 

Interstellar is naturally a very sci-fi film. The plot is in many ways comparable to classic movies within the genre, perhaps most notably the iconic 2001: A Space Odyssey, which many consider the finest example of space put to the screen. However, the unique directions in which the story progresses definitely make it shine on its own, and well-worth watching for any fan of science-fiction. Strip away all of the space aspects however, and Interstellar really tells the story of a daughter longing for the return of her father, which brings a strong sense of humanity to this intimidating drama set amongst the stars. The plot becomes arguably convoluted towards the film's conclusion, but it's never sub-par. 

Regardless of the plot however, Interstellar is a visually and audibly incredible film. Last year, many were amazed by how Alfonso Cauron's Gravity depicted the isolating void of space. I'd argue that this movie far surpasses that attempt, and enters a league of its own. Not only are the special effects incredible, but the segments which are set on Earth also spectacularly convey an impending sense of self-destruction. It's a particularly harrowing thought considering the way things appear to be going within our own world, and has never been realised quite so successfully as it is in Interstellar. The musical score for the film is also stellar, but the terrifying moments of silence which accompany the shots of space itself are just as effective. And unlike Gravity, when I say silence, I mean complete, utter, isolating silence. There is literally no noise whatsoever for certain moments of the movie, which can sometimes eerily juxtapose the on-screen events. 

Brand (Anne Hathaway)

I don't think anybody expected Matthew McConaughey's performance as Cooper to be anything but powerful considering the man has won multiple awards, so I don't think I even need to comment on how overwhelmingly moving his scenes within the movie were. However, what did surprise me was just how talented Mackenzie Foy was as Cooper's daughter, as I'm never usually a huge fan of child actors within movies. Not everybody's acting was as sensational as the leading cast's, but there wasn't a particular part which detracted from the overall experience. 

Verdict
Interstellar was incredible. I don't think it was quite Nolan's finest movie, but it was by far one of the best movies that I've seen in a long time, which should say plenty about the director himself. The plot may stray at points, and certain moments are relatively predictable, but these flaws don't in any way make the movie bad. It's stunning, enjoyable, and genuinely moving; Interstellar is a film which you should definitely not miss. 

"Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant

to die here."