I don't even know how to talk about how good this movie is.
I guess I'll start with coming clean about a bias I have when it comes to Christopher Nolan. It's a sure bet that I will love anything the man does, because I trust him implicitly. Yes, it does have a lot to do with the fact that he is responsible for arguably the greatest interpretation of my favourite character of pop culture. But, taking my love for all things Dark Knight out of the equation, Nolan's work is pretty consistently spot-on. Memento. The Prestige. Inception. Insomnia. All of his work is darkly beautiful and intensely cerebral. Interstellar keeps the trend going but changes the pace, for better or worse.
Because of how the film tells this story, the synopsis will have to be brief. Basically, Earth is on its way out, and Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) (Gods, that name is a nightmare to spell) is the pilot of a mission to find the human race some new digs. Sounds simple, yes? Nope. Like I said, Nolan's works tend to be thinkers. Pieces are put into play throughout the film that causes the audience to constantly question the path that the film is taking. The what's and the why's of the film are everchanging until the very end, and even then some is left to interpretation. In many ways it is like Inception, only Interstellar is in for the long con.
Interstellar may follow the same patterns as Nolan's previous works, but throws in something I didn't even realize wasn't there before: emotion. This film is as heartwrenchingly tragic as it is complex, which, in my eyes, is a huge step for Nolan; for all my praise I've always felt his films to be, I dunno...cold, I guess. His films have always focused on the puzzle being solved to take a hard look at those solving it. Interstellar puts the players under a microscope and not only has the audience empathizing with the characters, but has that emotion play a huge part in the telling of the story.
A lot of credit for this emotional element of the film goes to the actors. Everyone knows that Mr. 3xAlright is on a hot streak lately with taking home the Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club (well deserved, btw), and while I don't think that he'll be taking another one home for this I do think his portrayal of Cooper as a family man whose duty to the human race tears him from his children is more than adequate and at times heartbreaking. Anne Hathaway's performance of Brand, a scientist along for the ride with Cooper, is also very effective as sharing the duties with him without his emotional attachment. The pairing drives much of the film as they are very much opposite sides of the same coin; on the same side but with nearly opposing motivations. Nolan film mainstay Michael Caine brings his usual gravitas to the film as Prof. Brand, Hathaway's father and designer of the mission. The performances he gives in Nolan's films makes you forget you're watching a sci-fi movie about finding a new world, or a man dressing up as a bat, for example.
With what filmmakers have to work with these days, there's no excuse for a film to not look great when it has a budget. So when I say that Interstellar is fucking gorgeous, I want you to understand my full meaning. If Gravity hadn't come out last year, this film would have been the best looking piece of cinema I've seen in a good long while. That being said, I'm very happy I didn't see it in IMAX or anything. Gravity nearly killed me. Speaking of which, I could see how one might compare Interstellar with the hit space drama of last year, but don't be fooled: while Gravity was breathtaking and beautiful and fucking terrifying, the synopsis of that film is essentially 'Miss Congeniality has a VERY BAD DAY'. Interstellar not only has a plot, but it's a complex plot with multiple layers and lots going on. Gravity was pretty. Interstellar is smart and pretty. Basically, Interstellar is my fiancee. Gravity is my fiancee when she's sleeping: nice to look at, not a lot going on, and if something bad happens, you may die.
The major gripe I've heard about this film from the media is that the science isn't real, or is at least incorrect. To which I say GOOOOOOOOOOOO FUCK YOURSELF. It's a goddamn movie, people. No one is saying that when the time comes to fuck the lemons and bail that this movie is telling us how to do so. This is the first time, that I'm aware of, that the science of a SCIENCE FICTION film has been held up to such a standard, and it's bullshit because if this was done by someone else, no one would say shit. Roland Emmerich blows up the White House every other year with aliens or natural disasters or whatever, no one cares. Mark Ruffalo blows up to become a living green mountain of rage, people shrug and be like 'comic books, am I right?' How is Michael Bay still alive with these people so angry about mishandled science in a film? In an interview, even Nolan himself calls them out for it, saying that for whatever reason his films are held at a higher standard, despite the fact that all of his films feature plot hooks that are very much impossible and considered the same 'movie magic' that allows us to believe that Tony Stark actually has Iron Man armor, or that Jon Favreau actually has had sex with both Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vergara (check out Chef, it's pretty good). Also, if Neil DeGrasse Tyson is cool with the film (see here) then I don't know what else there is to say.
OK, I'm done kissing this movie's ass and am ready to scold it a bit here. This shit is long, folks. A little short of 3 hours from top to bottom, and it feels like it before the end. It's helpful knowing that before going in, but there are a couple of emotionally exhausting scenes where you hope the film will wrap up soon after and it doesn't. Few films have tired me out emotionally like Interstellar (a compliment) but the length of the film didn't allow me to catch my breath, leading me to my other major complaint. This movie was so far over my head that even if I wanted to spoil the shit out of it to you guys, I really don't think I could. And I don't feel like I'm alone here either. Interstellar doesn't have the mass appeal that Inception does, and certainly not as much as the Dark Knight films. In many ways, Interstellar is Nolan's best work. But I'd struggle to call it my favourite film of his, even disregarding The Dark Knight. There's also a secondary problem involving the sound mixing of the film, which Nolan copped to. His goal was to use speech as a sound effect amidst the chaos of the film during the more tense scenes, leading to the realism of the film. He wanted the audience to experience the moment how the characters were, all loud noises without being able to hear each other effectively. It's true, and effective, but incredibly distracting at times. Knowing it was on purpose makes it better, but not by much. It's a good thing the music is pretty.
I've been really inconsistent this year with my reviews. Most of it is my fault. With being a grown-up, having a fucked up schedule and not a lot of readers to attend to, my motivation has been lacking. Another reason is that this year has been wholly unremarkable for film. But that makes Interstellar that much more remarkable to me. It is a true masterpiece of art, beauty, intelligence and emotion, and evidence that a filmmaker can noticeably evolve. I don't know if Nolan will win any awards for this, but Interstellar helps cement my belief that he is one of the greatest working directors in the world today, maybe ever.
And if not, we'll always have Batman.
Knight Owl
