Marval Movie

"However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.” 

-Stanley Kubrick 

What a magnificent experience Interstellar is. Just when you think you know it all and have seen it all a movie comes along that makes you look at everything you though you knew and makes you look up and realise there is still the unexplored and the journey's not over yet. 

The movie takes place some time in the future where the Earth is going through some kind of food and dust crisis. There is constant dust, even heavy storms of it and the educational system focuses on creating farmers rather than scientists and explorers. A man named Cooper (Mathew McConaughey) is a former pilot that is now stuck working a farm with his father and two children. His daughter and youngest Murph (Mackenzie Fox), named after Murphy's Law, believes there is a ghost in her room that is sending her messages. Cooper follows those messages one day and they lead him to a secret underground bunker where he learns that NASA is putting together voyages through a wormhole to other planets. While they are working on this a scientist named Brand (Michael Cane) is working on a formula to convert gravity to energy. 

Mathew McConaughey delivers one of the greatest performances of his career in this movie. He is a vulnerable man that believes in the human race and loves his children. He has journeyed to the vast edges of infinity, he has stepped foot on another planet, seen time bend right in front of him and yet all he wants is to secure the future for his children. 

Writer Jonathan Nolan, decides to skip out a few seemingly obvious details. We never learn the year or what age any character is, or how exactly Professor Brand's research will help the planet, it is a little noticeable but I feel thats the way for it to go. We don't know what exact year this is but we can guess that its about two generations away, so a movie watcher will always be able to see this movie and never be brought down buy the date the movie came out. It is an emotional way the approach the movie, not an intellectual one. 

Cooper joins the expedition along with Amelia (Anne Hathaway), Romilly (David Gyasi) and Doyle (Wes Bently). They enter the wormhole, shaped like a sphere and they cross the boundaries to where the possible planets are. Theres also the extra catch the the planets have different gravity, and being that gravity warps time, an hour on one planet equals seven years on Earth. 

Interstellar clearly has drawn major influence from 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are similar shots, themes and visual effect that remind us of it. But this move is not a ripoff, the movie more channels 2001 and uses it as a source for inspiration, from the visuals to the themes, even the ending is just as mind bending as that movie. Hans Zimmer's score is also very reminiscent, not as memorable I feel but only time will tell for sure. There is even a moment where I swear he cleverly inserts it in.

While they are on their mission the are accompanied by Tars, a helper robot that I guess must always be a part of these kinds of missions. Tars is visually the least charming movie robot ever, it (coincidentally?) looks like the monolith from 2001 but is also opposable.  However in personality it is rather charming, being voiced by Bill Irwin and having humour and honesty levels that can be adjusted.

One kasus I usually have with Nolan movies is his characters are not characters. Nolan comes from a philosophy background and its rather obvious. The characters are all on different sides of a debate rather than just being them. Well here it works more organically because all the characters have more of an emotional drive to them. They are more like people rather than just there to debate the different sides. 

Go see this movie in the theatre, do not wait for it on home release. I will buy it when it comes out but do not let the opportunity pass you by. Sit in the theatre with the huge screen to capture the scale of vision the director has and the vastness of space, hear the sharp sound that is sometimes so visceral and loud that you will feel a rumble while sitting in your seat.

I already know that this is a great movie. I will see it again, then again and then keep seeing it. I will probably see other things after another viewing but I will be coming back for the appreciation of the beautiful whole.

Yes this movie was unarguably influenced by 2001. But maybe what it's really doing is picking up the torch. Taking movies, visual effects and storytelling and pushing them forward to a new age. 

Rating: 4 stars out of 4