The Spectacle of Human Endeavor

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2014)

A major theme of Interstellar is how Humanity has lost its naturally inquisitive mind and its sense of adventure. Writer, director, producer Christopher Nolan tries to recapture that on a cinematic level with audiences, reintroducing them to why we fell in love with films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars. Many of Nolan's films have captured this sense of awe and wonder in spectators, a main reason to why he has such a beloved following. The Prestige and Inception are the key examples of this; we see characters astounded by inventions, worlds and ideas. Interstellar shows us characters astounded by the great vastness of space and out space in it, someone everyone fears and are drawn to. A usual trick Nolan employs in his films is his use of time. Most evidently in Inception and Memento, but now Nolan has gained access to a narrative structured around the theory of relativity. Any audience member familiar with this will know this film will get complicated. Yet as the film goes on and time becomes more crucial to the plot, the more the film treats its audience like a child. The detrimental fact that has dogged Nolan's films for years is the overuse of expositional dialogue. Near the end of the film, when we are entering 2001 levels of un-clarity, we literally have two characters explain everything. I was completely removed from the experience as this happened, feeling as though the characters were talking to us rather than themselves. This leads to some very Hollywood climaxes. Sometimes not getting all the answers is what makes a story last long after the credits roll, this is something Kubrick understood but clearly Nolan has yet to learn. Despite this, Interstellar is indeed full of spectacle and amazement that any space adventure should offer. It instils both the excitement and fear such an endeavour would have on a person. The wormhole scene solidifies this with a brilliantly nauseating sequence. However my personal favourite shot was when Romilly was given the tropical forest track to remind him of Earth. It plays over a shot of Saturn which was a completely new and unique way of looking at space for me. I fears Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity would undermine the effects of the film, I was mistaken. Nolan has opted for a more classic cinematic view of space. Another clear homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is done throughout the film even in the monolithic shaped A.I of TARS. On the whole the performances were excellent, specifically from Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain. The linchpin to the film is the father/daughter relationship throughout it. If there is any element in this you do not enjoy, the rest of the film will suffer from it. However for me it was portrayed very emotionally and powerfully. And in general all its flaws included this was an impressive spectacle of our place in the Universe and Humanity. This sadly was not the next 2001 however I am more than grateful it wasn't the next Prometheus.