Disclaimer: I'm super biased towards liking anything in the McConaissance. Even the Lincoln commercials. But I'm trying really hard to be impartial here.
This film follows True Detective's Rust Cohle's journey to outer space to find out who murdered all the crops on earth. Or something.
Death created farmers to grow corn instead of go to college. Wait, I think I'm on the wrong set.
Overall I really liked this movie. Its got a lot of rewatch potential. I would even be so bold to say that Interstellar is the best movie filmed in 2014 (yes, even better than The Babadook).
Let's get started.
Soundtrack/Score:
Oh Jesus. The soundtrack. I've listened to this soundtrack by itself and it still gives me chills.
Fun fact: Hans Zimmer wrote all of this film's soundtrack without seeing the fucking movie. Sure, you could say "Oh well this is just another space epic, there's a certain feel you just need to replicate and it will fit the movie fine." And you would be right. But the score to this movie fits better than just fine. It fits like a glove made out of spandex. The score really communicates to the viewer "this is literally humanity's last hope for survival" and adds that weight to the film at every turn. Hell, Cooper could be riding his bicycle to the corner store for milk and this soundtrack would make you feel like that milk is going to cure his daughter's terminal cancer (but also the bike is in space).
Something that is also great addition from the soundtrack is the lack of sound in space (looking at you, Gravity). There are certain moments within the film juxtaposed with complete silence that smack the viewer right in their slack-jawed face. The best example of this in my opinion is when Matt Damon's character "Dr. Mann" attempts to dock with the Endurance and ends up blowing his own ship and part of the Endurance up in the process. It is so refreshing to see an explosion in space and not hear it for once, to see the destruction of Dr. Mann and his plans in a magnificent fireball millions of light years away from earth. Another great example of the power of silence is when Cooper is watching videos sent from his rapidly aging son on Earth. Coop sees his son become a man, find a wife, have a child, have that child die, and eventually, his son decides (during the video) that its time to leave old Coop behind. All throughout the scene Zimmer's score is continually building as Matthew McConaughey makes us all remember how depressing it is to see a grown man cry. And then, right as his son leaves him.......nothing. And I've never been hit so hard by nothing in my entire life. This is perhaps the best scene in the entire two hour and forty-nine minute long film and it is all because of that juxtaposition between emotion and complete silence.
Relativity in a nutshell, folks.
Writing/Script:
Interstellar is a very well written film. It has a great driving story that the viewer can invest themself in. Something that I personally really appreciate is the attention to the laws of physics throughout the film. Sure, some things are stretched a bit, but for the most part, the film is backed up by the power of science.
You can actually read the book The Science of Interstellar written by Kip Thorne, scientific consultant to the film. Thorne insisted on keeping the film as physically correct as possible. The illustration of zero gravity is accurate, the lack of sound in space is accurate (I really love the lack of sound in space), the definition and visualization of a wormhole is accurate. Dialogue in the film feels natural. These are conversations that could have actually happened; someone didn't just pull them out of their ass.
That being said, I have some gripe with the ending. The 4th dimensional space that is constructed for Coop to communicate with Murph? Nah that was bullshit, I didn't like that at all. I like to imagine that that is all just a hallucination of a dying father as he is crushed to death by a massive black hole.
Probably not a place you'd want to ever, ever leave your spaceship. Or be in general, I guess.
You might ask, "why don't you like that ending?" Well the answer is simple; I love depressing movies. I think often times films that end without a happy ending that ties everything up are the most poignant and important films. China Town and The Departed come to mind. Interstellar is a story about making ultimate sacrifices for the good of mankind. Coop should have never been able to reunite with his daughter. The humans on earth should have slowly suffocated and starved to death while Dr. Brand's colony takes its first steps towards life. It was a massive moral dilemma throughout the film whether or not to abandon earth in order to save humanity. Interstellar uses a very obvious deus ex machina to give the viewers a nice, happy ending that they don't deserve.
How Well it Holds Up:
It's a new movie so I'm not going to write much about this. Overall the special effects were great; it truly looked like the cast was in space and not in front of a green screen in your grandma's basement. It used technology that is close to reality. Interstellar looks like it could happen in the near future (assuming, ya know, magic time lords from the future create a wormhole near Saturn).
Acting:
I'm not going to write a whole lot in this section either in an attempt to refrain from fawning over Matthew McConaughey.
The cast of Interstellar was spectacular. Matthew McConaughey performance really sold an "every man" who gives up a simple life of farming to save the world. A story as old as time. Michael Caine portrayed Michael Caine as a NASA researcher. As wise as ever, Caine reminds us that a mentor is very important to human personal growth. Matt Damon's appearance worked to move the interest of mankind forward instead of Cooper's insistence in maintaining his humanity. McKenzie Foy, who played a young Murph, had a surprisingly great and touching performance which isn't something you see often from a child actor. I could go on, but Interstellar was very well cast and it shows.
Fun Fact #2: Good Will Hunting is really just a prequel to Interstellar.
What Issues It Tackles:
Humanity vs. the good of mankind. Sacrifice vs. those we hold dear. Parents losing children. Estranged lovers. All of these issues hold great weight and were well fleshed out in the film. I will say again that Cooper's sacrifice should have been a real sacrifice where you don't end up getting what you want afterwards. That isn't a sacrifice; that's delayed gratification.
IN THE END, Interstellar is one of my favorite movies and is a very entertaining watch. If you haven't seen it yet I urge you to do so. For me. Please.
My Rating: A hard 8.5.
--Mat
Aren't we all?
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