INTERSTELLAR – Christopher Nolan

Back in 2005, director Christopher Nolan decided to take over the Batman franchise and begin what would be his, “Dark Knight Trilogy”. No one knew what to expect back then. Fanboys of the Tim Burton Batman films of the late 1980′s/early 1990′s, screamed because they thought their beloved franchise would be ruined. Instead it became the biggest and most amazing superhero franchise to date.

Christopher Nolan‘s vision was dark, serious, and intelligent. Personally I was intrigued by Nolan, but it wasn’t until the second film, The dark knight, that I was really impressed with his style of filmmaking. However, it wasn’t until 2010 that Nolan really caught my attention, and the world’s, with the mind-blowing film, Inception. There never has, nor ever will be another film like it again…so I thought.

When I first saw the trailer for Nolan’s latest film, Interstellar, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Space and time, time travel, wormholes, was this the type of film I expected from Nolan? Well, after seeing this 3 hour film I must say…he is not only a filmmaking genius, but on a level all his own. Interstellar is a very complicated film to describe. It touches upon a wide variety of subject matter. From science fiction, to serious drama, adventure, and physics, this film is like a mental workout.

The film begins with former NASA test pilot and engineer, Cooper, (Matthew McConaughey), who is now a farmer trying to take care of his family, his daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy),his son Tom (Timothee Chamlamet), and his father Donald (John Lithgow). The story takes place in the not too distant future, where the world has moved on. Drought, famine, erratic change in climate, and dust storms destroy everything. Food is scarce, there’s no more military, no war, and the human race is all but extinct. When Murph insists there is a, “ghost”, in her bedroom, and it’s the reason for things moving around, (especially the dust), Cooper tries to explain to her the laws of physics. This, “ghost”, however, is actually a form of morse code which leads Cooper and his daughter to a newly reformed underground base of NASA. It’s here that Cooper is told about NASA’s discovery of a rip in the space time continuum, and that by traveling through a wormhole, a new world can be found to save the last of the human race from total self destruction.

Cooper must now decide if he wants to stay behind and be with his children during the last days of the planet Earth, or become part of this new search team. Obviously he takes the mission, and from there we are launched, (literally), into a world of science, theories, physics, laws of nature, life, other worlds, space and time, time travel, and mystery, into the world of the unknown and beyond! Cooper is on this amazing journey with scientists, Brand (Anne Hathaway), Doyle, (Wes Bentley), Romilly, (David Gyasi), and a walking/talking square robot named “Tars”. As they travel in a ship named “Endurance”, they must follow the Lazarus Mission, and collect data on three potential planets: Miller, Mann, & Edmunds, (named after the astronauts who went before them), to see if the human race is capable of surviving on them. With their mission to colonize another planet in another galaxy in jeopardy, it appears things go seriously wrong as the collected data isn’t what they expected. Is the head of NASA, Professor Brand’s, (Michael Caine), theory of humans surviving the gravitational pull a lie? Is there no hope at all for experimental fertilized human embryos to survive and start a new human race in another galaxy and planet?

With an amazing second half of the film full of theories, physics, slingshots through time, space, and time traveling between worlds and beyond, you must see Interstellar to find out how it all comes together.

Some critics were turned away from this film simply because of its running time of 3 hours, some because it was just too confusing for them. I personally felt that not only is this some of the best filmmaking of all time, but visually stunning beyond words! This film from the start is captivating. The cast is supurb, the frightening reality of how the world could end is realistically convincing, the special effects are far beyond anything we’ve seen, and the intellect level to make it all believable is there. I’ve already mentioned the main cast, however the supporting cast was just as fantastic. Ellen Burstyn, Bill Irwin, Casey Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Topher Grace, and Matt Damon, were all on top of their game. I enjoyed the soundtrack as well. The score was conducted by Hans Zimmer, and it kept you on the edge of your seat one minute, and floating in space the next. The special effects are just…mind-blowing. There are times you truly feel like you are actually a part of the film! From scenes of floating through time and space, to the rumble of the shuttle taking off, (my seat literally vibrated during that scene).

I feel as a director, Nolan is a man who just doesn’t make films, he tells grand stories. He has visions like no other director before him. One can safely say that Interstellar is, “this generations 2001: A Space Odyssey“. There is something out there, there is more to life than we know or see, and there is a beyond, and Nolan’s way of taking us there has certainly won me over. This is a must see film on the big screen in order to capture its larger than life experience. What a way to kick off the 2014 Holiday Season with this blockbuster.