Interstellar fails on every level

Rating: 1/10 (11 November 2014)

Despite the hype, I went to see Interstellar hoping for the best. From the dreadful opening, which went on forever featuring insipid dialogue and portentous acting by all involved to the crude miniatures in "space" (clearly an homage to Kubrick's 2001, A Space Odyssey, which accomplished far more with far less technical advantages than today's filmmakers), the movie incredibly got worse and worse until the last 30 minutes with some inspired, redemptive space/time scenes. But oh, that insipid dialogue and McConaughy's western drawl and baleful looks, echoed by a truly wasted Anne Hathaway, who also walked through her lines. The real culprit is the editing, as if Nolan was so in love with his work he could not bear to cut a scene. And the music? So banal that it managed to be predictable and intrusive at the same time. I couldn't wait for the "space scenes" to begin. But from liftoff to deep space, they could have NASA footage instead. I just can't imagine how anyone could call the space scenes "thrilling" or the twists and turns of the plot "gripping". Whether or not you liked Gravity, at least its space scenes were in your face and hard-edged. Watching the Interstellar space station cartwheel through space like a miniature toy out of a Cracker Jacks box was simply embarrassing. The scene of McConaughy and Hathaway begging Mat Damon not to activate the airlock, because it wasn't sealed was just another example of Nolan trying to manufacture excitement. Instead of being a hoped for surprise, the result was not only something we have seen in many sci-fi space movies, but as an experienced astronaut and pilot, Damon's character would absolutely know would happen! There were so many wooden moments, it's hard to count. The best was when McConaughy walks into his sister's hospital room and the reaction from her friends and family is absolutely zero! Not even a cocked head. What a colossal waste of time, talent and money to create something so utterly unforgettable. You just can't create a profound movie by hoping characters can talk their way through it. Nolan may have had a good story in his head, but what a mess--confused, poorly plotted, no editing and a visual treatment and color palette that looks like it was done by amateurs. 1 out of 10 and that's being kind.