Interstellar has been one of the most awaited Hollywood movies of the year, with a lot of hype surrounding it-something which isn’t surprising given that it’s a Christopher Nolan movie.
The plot is set in a futuristic world where saturation of resources has made Earth unsustainable for humans, and revolves around Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a pilot, engineer and father of two. Cooper along with astronauts from NASA (Dr. Brand, Romilly and Doyle) set off to explore three prospective worlds in another galaxy (courtesy a wormhole that’s been “placed” near Saturn) based on data transmitted by explorers from NASA ( Dr. Miller, Edmunds and Mann) from an earlier expedition. They hope to find at least one suitable new home for the future generations of mankind. Back on Earth, Cooper’s daughter Murfy along with Dr. Brand’s father are attempting to solve an equation related to gravity that could potentially save humans currently living on Earth. Certain anomalies in gravitational patterns play a crucial role in the incidents during the movie.
This has been one of the few experiences I’ve had where the movie hall was completely silent during most of the movie, and barely anyone paid attention to their phones (which is unfortunately very rare these days) because the movie was so gripping and intense!
Everything makes sense at the end with the loose ends tying up in an unexpected manner and once you realise the climax, you’ll definitely be at the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen to the characters next. The fine performances by the main characters, Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey and Micheal Caine make the story come alive. Certain scenes will leave you blown away; one death scene in particular, the exploration of Dr. Miller’s planet and the part where the astronauts are travelling through the worm hole. Don’t be embarrassed or surprised if you find your eyes moist during the film, especially during Tom and Murfy’s video messages to their father. Comic relief is included in just the right amount in the form of TARS, the robot’s banter. Hans Zimmer’s music is brilliant, and makes the scenes even more intense and engaging.
The special effects are indeed spectacular and the depiction of black holes and fifth dimension has been done in a way that makes the concept both understandable and visually appealing. I was particular fascinated by the idea of time as a physical dimension, something which led to a lot of Google searches after watching the film. The theory of relativity of time has been played with well to add another layer to the movie.
However, one aspect that didn’t seem to really add up was the behaviour of certain characters during the course of the movie. Some of the choices made by Dr. Mann, Professor Brand and Tom seem uncharacteristic at times, and can leave you feeling confused about their decisions. I felt certain parts like Dr. Brand and Edmunds’ story could have been focused on some more (or alternatively, removed entirely), but I guess that just gives the audience more to think about.
Apart from that, I can also see a lot of people feeling as though the plot of the story went above their heads (which also happened with Nolan’s Inception). At times, the science behind the story seemed to overpower the scenes a little too much, which made some scenes feel heavy and stretched.
What I liked the best about the movie is that it reinforces the idea that humans have always been, and always should be explorers by nature; looking towards the next frontier and constantly moving forward. The realisation of our insignificance in terms of the bigger picture and the vastness of the unknown should only propel our growth and curiosity as a race.
To sum up, whether or not you truly liked the movie, Interstellar is a film you’ll end up having lengthy discussions over, long after it has ended.
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