Emotionally captivating and intellectually challenging

Rating: Null/10 (6 November 2014)

This film tells the story of an ex-pilot in a world full of dust storms. He is chosen to travel to the uncharted parts of the space in search for a new habitable planet.
"Interstellar" is a long film, and the first two hours of it does not seem like a typical Christopher Nolan film. Most of the scenes are (literally) down to Earth, with no fancy visual effects. It spends much time building up the story, telling the story of a father and his daughter who sees 'ghost' in her bedroom. Through this ghost, one thing led to another, and the man is in space. When the film is not down on Earth, it looks more like a disaster film. The first adventure is a spectacular feat involving water. It also introduces the physics of relativity, on how time slows down in another world, leading to a misguided decision of the astronauts in retrospect. This sets the foundation for future plot involving more relativity.
As the film progresses, there is more adventure, both in the form of adrenaline pumping adventure and humanity and integrity testing conditions. Matt Damon's character forms a central subplot that makes me reflect on what lengths would people go in order to achieve a certain goal. It reflects on the reality that people are driven by egocentric instincts. It is not a pretty truth, but it tells that human are not idealistic creatures.
The final half an hour is what a typical Christopher Nolan film is like. It makes me hold my breath because it is so intense, both emotionally and cognitively. The ending gives me inexplicable exhilaration. Things come to a full circle, and it is filled with joy.
It is not a film for everyone, as the story is long and takes a lot of time to build. Two people walked out of the cinema an hour into the film, and someone sitting behind me remarked after the film ended that he opined it was the most boring Christopher Nolan film ever. For me, I enjoyed "Interstellar" thoroughly, because it is emotionally captivating and intellectually challenging.