One of the top 5 science fiction films of all time.

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2014)

Science Fiction films are rare these days, extremely rare. I know that's hard to believe, given the fact that we are in a super-hero golden age, but when you think about it, most sci-fi these days are fantasy films. The new Star Trek films included. Interstellar is a rare science fiction film, because the plot is built around the science fiction itself. Studiers of Quantum Physics will absolutely devour this film! The visuals bring me back to Kubrick's 2001. Instead of CGI, Christopher Nolan decided to use models for the space craft just like Kubrick did in 2001 when he paved the way for sci-fi films, including George Lucas' Star Wars. The results are stunning, and Interstellar is space opera at its finest. When you couple haunting visuals with outstanding sound mixing and Hans Zimmer's masterful score, you just might forget to blink!
I will say however, that I was rather disappointed with the art direction in this film. The ships were okay looking, both inside and out, and the settings on the alien planets didn't wow me. But I'm not sure they were supposed to. They were supposed to be Earth-like planets after all.
I can't say enough about the acting, it was absolutely brilliant all around, and by every part of the cast. Did I even mention Nolan's editing? I would rather call him a film editor 1st and a director 2nd. He's the best at pacing films, with his patented style of quick cutting scenes. But this is expected of Nolan. What I did not expect was the sentimental parts of the story. Nolan's biggest weakness is usually his inability to implement human elements in his stories, but that is not the case with Interstellar. This was a story of a father's logical thinking, clashing with his emotional thinking. It was very dramatic.
As unique as this film was, there were some influences from 2001, mostly in the visual department. I also thought that it borrowed some plot devices from Apollo 13. Still, in the end, Interstellar is one of the most innovative science fiction films in decades. A dying planet. Humanity at a precipice. And a story based around the almost religious theory of direct panspermia. I also was surprised to see a supernatural element in the story. As a science fiction writer myself, I know how difficult it can be to bridge the gap between scientific theory and the mystical. And Christopher Nolan managed to do exactly that. He took the science fiction genre and made it his own! The film might not be the ground breaking film that Kubrick's 2001 was, but it still sets a standard!