November 11, 2014mikeyb @ screenkicker

Interstellar (2014) – 2001: A Space McConaughessy

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“Is that George Clooney floating outside the window? Think we should help him?”

Where do i start with Interstellar? Its Christopher Nolan’s new sci-fi epic so there’s been a ridiculous amount of expectation heaped on its shoulders. It features an all-star cast and is a film that defines the word ‘big’. This is the kind of movie that has the potential to split audiences the way any piece of art that explores the concepts of life and humanity has. However I know there’s only one question on your mind – is it any good? I’ll attempt to answer that in classic review style by waffling on about other things before telling you. Strap in!

To avoid any spoilers I’ll be incredibly careful with what plot details I’ll give. From the trailer you’ve probably figured out Interstellar is about Matthew McConaughey going to space in a rocket. Earth is dying and his character Cooper is selected to go on a special mission to find humanity a new home. So it’s a bit like The Core but not shit. Once Cooper and his team which includes Anne Hathaway and Wes Bentley leave Earth the drama properly kicks in.

"Nah, f*ck him"
“Nah, f*ck him”

Interstellar at first may seem like Gravity 2 but this isn’t a film about how Sandra Bullock has no grip strength, this is much bigger in scope. It asks questions about our significance or lack of in the universe and how far the human race should go for the survival of our species. Mostly though Interstellar is about the pioneer spirit of humans, the need to explore and always push forward.

Nolan nails this feeling of excitement with the way the space exploration is shot. Cameras are fixed on the top of the ships pulling the viewer right in to the action. The visuals display spectacle on a massive scale not seen since 2001: A Space Odyssey, the film that Interstellar will be most compared to. And its a fair comparison as both movies cover similar themes with Interstellar not quite achieving the depth and wonder of Kubrick’s classic.

That thing on the right is one of my favourite characters in the film. No, really"
That thing on the right is one of my favourite characters in the film. No, really”

As usual Nolan get’s the best out of the excellent actors with Matthew McConaughey being a standout in the lead role. Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain are great too and all of the cast are superb in some highly emotional scenes. They even rattle off scientific jargon with utter confidence making you feel they understand relativity, and black holes, and midichlorians, and what the hell ALF was supposed to be. However behind the science Interstellar is a story about exploration, love, death,and sacrifice. It doesn’t hit the mark the way Inception did but you need to see what it has to offer, preferably on the biggest screen possible. Interstellar is ambitious, flawed, beautiful, and epic, but most of all it’ll make you pause for a moment and think about your place in the universe. And that’s definitely worth three hours of your evening.

9/10

Have you seen Interstellar? Did you like it as much as me? Do you know what the hell ALF is supposed to be? Let me know in the comments below.

Screenkicker Quality Index (SQI)

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Intermission

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17 comments

  1. I honestly giggled at A SPACE MCCONAUGHESSY. Genius sir. Genius.

    As for the movie, I agree that it was worth seeing. I’m not very into space travel movies and Interstellar did not change that. However, it deserves more praise than it is getting.

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  2. I’ll second Louie’s sentiment about the post title here. Very clever sir, can always leave it up to you Mikey!!!

    I think I enjoyed Interstellar every bit as much as you did. It did ultimately fall short, but it fell short of expectations that I think I unreasonably kept aloft. Like, for over a year I was expecting this to be a movie to end all science fiction movies for me. Looking back, that’s just not really fair. Or reasonable. Lol. There were a lot of issues here, but too much Nolan got right and nailed the excitement of our potential elsewhere in the cosmos for me to really care. It got a 7/8 from me, for whatever that’s worth. 😀

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  6. A space McConaughessy – LOLZ. Awesome work. Loved the film and absolutely admired Nolan’s ambition. Can’t think of any other director who could possibly do what Nolan did with Interstellar.

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  9. Another great write up Sir. Glad you liked this one as much as me. Sure, it is flawed, as most films are, but the ambition of it is quite profound. For me it has generated nothing but debate and discussion since I saw it and any film that does that has to be commended. I just wish more blockbusters filmmakers pushed the envelope as much as Mr Nolan does.

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  11. For a film about the possibility of there being 5 dimensions the characters were totally one dimensional. Getting the science wrong is the least of this movie’s worries.

    Poor Michael Caine looks tired, all he does is recite that poem(though he does it pretty well) and say lines to use in the movie trailer. Anne Hathaway goes from cold logical scientist to cringe worthy love philosopher. Where did that come from? And Murph….Why do you hate your Dad so much for giving his life to save the human race when you are doing exactly the same thing….Really???…..your not 10 anymore. This is where the movie completely loses me.

    Oh and lets not forget the wormhole guy(the real victim of this movie…not Murph.) and the other dude who forgot to pack his surf board.

    Hans Zimmer’s score was insulting as well. The louder it is the more emotional the scene is supposed to be….Silly.

    Sure the movie is good to look at and some of the visuals will blow you away. I think the ideas are interesting and it does feel sci-fi but if the characters are so bland. Whats the point?

    The ending was absolutely awful….The whole thrust of the story was if Cooper could make it back in time to be reunited with his daughter….you know what….He did….talked to her for 2 minutes and she told him to go to another planet. He didn’t even ask about his son.

    The science has flaws, what about the characters…..Turn the music up who cares….Nolan thinks you won’t notice as long as its looks good and sounds cool.

    Even ‘THEY’ couldn’t save this mess.

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  14. Mikey…do we actually AGREE on something??? HIGH FIVE!!! Lol. Great review, dude! So glad to see someone else who enjoyed this as much as I did. TEAM NOLAN ALL THE WAY. 🙂

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