“Mankind was born on Earth; it was never meant to die here.”
Interstellar, Christopher Nolan’s 2014 space drama, is essentially a campaign to continue exploring the stars and reignite a new space program that will draw the human race closer together. This idea is present throughout the movie, though not overwhelmingly so, or in a manner that seems “preachy.” Interstellar, Nolan’s first movie since 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, is also his most dramatic, telling the story of Cooper (McConaughey), a former engineer who chooses to leave his children behind in order to save the human race.
Cooper’s journey takes him through a recently-discovered wormhole into the far reaches of the universe. One of the interesting things about Nolan’s movie is how the wormhole is depicted. For one, the movie acknowledges the difference between black holes and wormholes (two very different things), but most importantly, it portrays them in a way very close to how they would actually appear in real-life. Physicist Kip Thorne provided scientific equations for Nolan’s digital team to create a realistic wormhole that interacted with light and space in such a way that leaves the audience breathless.
A strong advocate for doing as much as possible in-camera, Nolan used models and locations for much of his movie, as opposed to doing everything in CGI (we’re looking at you, Gravity). These practical effects create a film that keeps the audience engaged at all times. Never once did does the audience get distracted by obvious CGI because the times Nolan used computer imaging, it fit seamlessly with the rest of the movie.
Interstellar is the most emotional of Nolan’s work thus far. Much of the movie deals with the relationship between Cooper and his daughter, Murph, and is sure to bring the audience to the verge of tears at the very least. Hans Zimmer’s hauntingly sincere score portrays this tragic relationship beautifully, and also captures the wonder and amazement of space.
The long running time may be too much for the casual movie-goer, as well as some of the movie’s more scientific components, but Nolan works to keep the viewer engaged at all times. The conclusion of the movie may be a little jarring and confusing (in a traditional Nolan-esque way), but upon a second-viewing should make more sense. A beautiful movie (both visually and emotionally), Interstellar is a must-see.
~Landon