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Anne Hathaway, Black Hole, Christian blog, Christopher Nolan, Cinema, Interstellar, Interstellar Movie Review, Matthew McConaughy, Movie Reviews, NASA, Quantum Mechanics, Scifi, Space
Interstellar isn’t just a movie. It is a work of art and an experience, an experience that must be witnessed on the largest screen possible. Director Christopher Nolan continues to prove he is one of the best directors around. He is old school. He hates digital and only films with real film. He is not a big fan of CGI either and will use as little as possible. He is very practical with his special effects. But what Christopher Nolan is best known for is his deep complex story telling and mind blowing endings. Does Christopher Nolan deliver what he is so great at? Does Interstellar live up to the hype?
Yes it does. I went in with huge expectations knowing it was a Christopher Nolan film. I also went in knowing nothing about it. The premise behind Interstellar is simple. Earth is dying in a “Grapes of Wrath” dust bowl. Crops are unable to produce enough food for mankind to survive long term. That is when we meet Matthew McConaughey’s character Cooper. Cooper is an ex-engineer now farmer who is enlisted by NASA to enter a mysterious black hole with a team to explore the expanse of stars for a new planet for mankind to thrive. I will not go into too much detail. I do not want to spoil the experience.
The visuals are stunning and awe-inspiring. They grab your attention and imagination. If you grew up fascinated by our solar system then the visuals will leave you breathless. The combination of visuals, music and sound design do a fantastic job at telling the story within itself through emotion. The cinematography is beautiful. Every shot was well thought out and executed to show the emotions behind the characters. Behind the visuals is the ambient and bombastic score of Hans Zimmer. Hans Zimmer utilizes the haunting sound of pipe organs, giving the feeling of heavenly wonder, imagination and the loneliness of space. I’ve always been a fan of Hans Zimmer and also expect the best from him and he delivers.
Despite the grossing visuals and music, what is really the heart of this movie is love, the love between a father and daughter. Against a plethora of phenomenal actors Matthew McConaughy steals the show. His performance is academy nomination material for sure. I really felt the emotions of his character. He is a loving father that wants to return to his daughter yet find a place for her and the human race to thrive. There is a scene in which McConaughy is watching a video screen. His performance in that scene alone was heart wrenching. I kept telling myself, “Don’t tear up. Suck up those tears.” I’m not a father, but I have a little sister who I love dearly. His character was relatable. He was a hero I could root for.
Under the shadow of his performance are other great performances such as Mackenzie Foy who plays his daughter Murph. Then you have Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Jessica Chastain, David Gyasi, a sarcastic robot named TARS and a cameo that will shock you. All A-List actors who bring their A game.
In the truest sense Interstellar is a masterpiece. Does that mean it is flawless? No. Neither is The Godfather or Shawshank Redemption. (Not putting them on the same scale.) Interstellar runs a bit long clocking in at three hours. At times the pacing felt off. Perhaps the point is to make you feel the long exhausting effects of time in space travel. In the end it pays off with Christopher Nolan’s typical mind blowing plot twist ending that will leave people talking for years. I still have discussions with fellow film buffs over the endings of Inception, The Prestige, Memento and The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan’s movies are truly a different cup of tea for many. They have their moments of action but that is mostly laced with complex plots and deep philosophical questions and Interstellar makes no apologies. The viewer is bombarded with the scientific theories of black holes, quantum mechanics, string theory, time travel and so on. I love the complexity of those topics but the exposition might be heavy handed for some. The movie still has plenty to offer since the heart of this film is the love of a father and the yearning for something else that this messed up planet in the dirt cannot provide. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” I am reminded of this every night when I gaze upon the beauty of the heavens. Interstellar fuels that desire and hope. Though creation is groaning, one day all things will be made new.
– JL