Ever since Nolan's Inception I have been hooked on the stylistic and dark tone of cinema that is only captured by his sheer brilliance. I went on a rampage and consumed every movie by him that I could find. Memento, The Prestige, and the Batman Trilogy. All glorious movies that define their respective genres. Though it is debatable if Inception is a sci-fi or not. More like a sci-psych? See what I did there?
Christopher Nolan is no less than a genius when it comes to writing and directing movies. Interstellar might be the peak of his directing career. Now before I get into the nitty-gritty I must say that Interstellar is an entirely different beast then Inception. Sure, both movies subject matters are grey areas in science and reality, but who honestly cares? Movies can do such things and should be used accordingly and at the right dosage. Thankfully, Nolan is a master in both areas.
ALRIGHT! Enough nerding over Nolan. On to my actual take on the film.
This is almost three hours of non-stop intensity of epic proportions. No punches are pulled. The subject matter of the movie is jumbled and cluttered with Quantum physics and gibberish that no average Joe would want to understand. But Interstellar manages to just barely get away with it. No doubt the entire story started to become the usual Nolan-esque puzzle when they started talking about wormholes. What the heck is a wormhole?
I admit the movie has its slow moments and cold-like character interactions, but that is like throwing a balloon against a hurricane of genre defining goodness. Even Anne Hathaway's pathetic attempts at acting is easily forgiven when the climatic scenes approach their conclusion. We see despair, bravery, sacrifice, unbelievable circumstances that we could only dream of, and love. The whole movie boils down into that simple word once again: love. Not even the humanistic tendencies in this movie can refute the illogical sentiment commonly referred to as love. What is love? Can we understand it? No. Cause love IS God. Can we understand God? You can try, buddy. But sadly the movie never takes that next steps of even talking about God. Can't get everything right, I guess.
Matthew McConaughey delivered the performance of his career. No spoilers, but he managed to convey emotions that only a real father could have for his children. Props for the aging actor. But Nolan movies are, surprisingly, not about the characters. For me, I simply view them as a conduit for the real character of Nolan's films: the philosophical and light spiritual message that is relayed to the audience. Interstellar carries that ever-burning torch and asks, "What makes you human?" The subtle details are often what makes Nolan's movies shine so brightly among the black atrocity that is Hollywood Cinema. This is just an opinion that I have, but I feel as if Nolan wants to re-define what makes a movie Academy Award worthy. Entertainment is definitely on the to-do list whenever he directs a film, but is it in the #1 spot? I would like to think it was down near #4 or #5. I get so much more out of Nolan films than simple 'entertainment.' I get a dose of "wake up, the world is not your oyster." Maybe movies aren't just to pass the time or a good date night. Maybe a movie could be a place where we can gather, absorb, and discuss what the movie was portraying. I appreciate his unique stance. There is always a place for action epics and romantic comedies, but sometimes I want a stunning display of life-changing questions. Questions that define the heart of man and our relationship to 'Higher Powers."
After the initial hour of the movie (which is still fantastic) things never really slow down. I would love to go into the story and over-arching plot that will most likely (and probably has) blown the minds of millions, but spoilers. It takes the sci-fi genre and says, "how about this?" Any director that wants to make a sci-fi in the future will have to watch Interstellar. That is how powerful this movie is. You can't write it off as another sci-fi flick. It demands a refresh on what we know and love about science fiction. Humans with Space and Time - how we relate to those two will forever be changed.
I think the people who walk away from Interstellar with reactions on the lines of, "What the heck was that? That was terrible!" or "Wow. What a disappointment." Probably got lost in the terminology and funky story progression. Or maybe they did understand it and just didn't like it.....Is that even possible?
Just go and watch the movie. Yes, it was worth the IMAX ticket! The first time I ever sat in front of a screen that made my TV at home look like a scratch n' sniff. I actually want to watch it again sometime this or next week.
I can sit here and sing the praises of Interstellar all day and night.
Don't even get me started on Hans Zimmer's Divine OST. I cannot understand Zimmer's mind. A man can only write so many scores that will leave your ears gently crying for more.
All I can say is that Interstellar sits on my top 5 movies of all time list, and I don't see it moving any time soon.
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