Early in the Fall season of 2014, Batman director Christopher Nolan dazzled fans once again with his adventurous, thought-provoking space saga, Interstellar. Inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, The near three hour film was hailed for its technical work as well as mesmerizing story that captivated many, making it one of the highest grossing films of the year. 

Featuring an all-star cast comprising Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, Matt Damon, Wes Bently, Casey Affleck, and Mackenzie Foy, Interstellar tells the story of a futuristic Earth where resources, mainly food, are slowly disappearing due to consumption. Ex-engineer Cooper (McConaughey), NASA scientist Amelia Brand (Hathaway), and their team must travel through time an space in an attempt to pick up a mission that had been started a decade earlier (and speaheaded by Dr. Brand (Michael Caine), Amelia’s father), one that would help mankind find a new habitable planet before its own’s destruction.
The movie had it’s ups and downs, so let’s break it down like always:

The acting was great. Matthew Mcconaughey has managed to turn from one of my most hated actors to one of my favourite in the space of two years with Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, and the phenomenal True Detective in his repertoire. He adds to that list with his performance in Interstellar as a scientist adament on succeeding in his mission, but even more so, as a father trying to secure a future for his family, including daughter, Murph (10 year-old version beautifully played by Foy). McConaughey demonstrates his actibg prowess once again. He manages to make you laughand cry all in the same, and delivers a performance that’s undeniably believable. He did alright, alright, alright (you knew this would happen. Admit it.)

Anne Hathaway is the type of actress who is perfect for certain roles and not for others. In this case, it was a hit. Hathaway petsonified a brazen, smart, funny, and passionate human being that was very relatable, and delivered one of the most beautiful monologues in the script.

The great Michael Claine shows us why he is a veteran of cinema, but his role wasn’t one that offered a lot of emotional range, forming a gap between him and the viewer (me in this case). Still, he did well with what he had.

The remainder of the case also does well, although this wasn’t Jessica Chastain‘s absolute best performance. What I liked about the cast is that they all meshed well together. I certainly wouldn’t have matched some of the actors/actresses with their respective roles, but the result was a welcome surprise. 

Another aspect I loved about the movie was the fact that it wasn’t really about the space factor. I mean, yes, they are looking for a new planet and all of that, but at its very core, Interstellar is about people. It’s an exposé on the nature of a human being in the face of adversity; it portrays the most raw, human qualities we possess, be that self-preservation, sacrifice, care, or love.

The visual effects in Interstellar were…well, stellar! The incredible experience that was delving into the nooks and crannies of the workd Nolan and his team created was fascinating. What’s even more interesting is that most of the science involved in the movie was true, making for an even more intriguing viewing experience.


As mentioned, I enjoyed the script a lot. It didn’t feel overridden with pointless clichés or melodramatic sequences. On the contrary, it had the right amount of everything, and I thoroughly enjoyed some of the monologues because they were written scientifically; for example, Brand’s explanation of love. That was beautiful.

Finally, you’ve probably already listened to or heard of the haunting score in Interstellar even if you haven’t seen the movie yet. There is no denying the beauty of the exquisite theme played in the movie. 

Interstellar was by far not the best movie I’ve seen this year or in general (although I do think it deserved the Best Picture nomination over American Sniper). The thing is, it had all the components, and some scenes were truly incredible, but it didn’t all come together.

While I liked the fact that the planets we saw weren’t the typical ones filled with aliens of all sorts and whatever, I didn’t appreciate the thought process. I mean, ice and water? I was expecting a little more creativity and originality, even if that may be all that’s out there.

The ending of the movie was brilliant. The concept they presented was so thought-provoking and delivered a surprise unlike any other, but some parts of it were slightly disappointing. For one, the source of the gravity from te beginning of the movie was rather obvious. I figured it out the second I found out about the time component. Another thing is [SPOILER] the fact that we watched an entire movie about a daughter and a father trying to find each other somehow and were so intimately connected to them, only to get 2 seconds of them reuniting. I mean, it was heart-breaking and all (her face, I can’t), but at least give us a good five minutes. Have a conversation. Damn.

All in all, I’d say Interstellar is quite an interesting movie — one worth watching at least once. I’ve personally seen it twice, and I may well see it again. While its many aspects might not produce an end result that’ll go down in history as one of cinema’s best, it still remains one of the better movies of last year.

RATING: 79/100

Images: wired.com, theguardian.com, imdb.com, youtube.com, playbuzz.com, jaysanalysis.com, gq-magazine.co.uk

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