stunning sci-fi epic

Rating: 10/10 (15 November 2014)

In a nut-shell, astronauts use a worm-hole in space to travel to a distant part of the galaxy so they can find an earth-like planet to colonize and run into a few difficulties along the way.
Among other things this film demonstrates why great motion pictures should still be shot using celluloid instead of in digital. I had the privilege of seeing Interstellar in proper 70 mm IMAX and had to go to some trouble to do so but I had to see it in this format or it just wouldn't have been good enough. At times during the screening I felt like I was actually in space and exploring alien planets with the astronauts. Thankfully no expensive (and annoying) 3D glasses were required to achieve this either.
This is a film that is highly entertaining but also intelligent - you don't have to know anything about science to enjoy it but it does offer the opportunity to contemplate what's happening frame by frame and begin to understand more about the concepts behind it - if you're so intrigued that is. Not to 'bash' other films but it is a more edifying piece than say Prometheus or The Matrix trilogy, which I felt left a lot of things ambiguous; creating more confusion than understanding. There's a companion book about the science of the film by Kip Thorne available. I find Interstellar reminiscent of Kubrick's Space Odyssey: 2001 (another great sci-fi drama) but with much more action and humour included in the mix. I also see some parallels with the great David Lean's film 'Sound Barrier'.
Other recent sci-fi films such as the star trek re-boot don't hold a candle to 'Interstellar' in terms of originality and relevance in my opinion. Highly recommended in any format but especially the full size 70mm IMAX if you get the chance.