Outstanding

Rating: 9/10 (9 November 2014)

Interstellar fell short of a 10 because the voices in some parts were too low, I simply could not hear what they were saying. In fact, we missed at least half of Professor Brand's (Caine) dying confession. Fortunately Murph (a brilliant Chastain) filled in most of those blanks. My other issue was with the scenes around the black hole and Cooper (McConaughey) awakening at the hospital. Those scenes were unnecessarily complicated and it was compounded by more muffled dialogue. Most of the movie addressed the science - factual and fictional - in a more understandable way and spread the harder concepts out. I loved everything else. All the actors stepped up. Standing with Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine were Matthew McConaughey, Ann Hathaway, John Lithgow, Matt Damon and Mackenzie Foy as young Murph. Matthew McConaughey is no longer just a hot guy doing his thing, he is a dad struggling to give his children a life and a future. He doesn't always make the right decisions but he's doing the best he can. Fortunately he has his weathered father-in-law (Lithgow) to raise his children while he goes off to save the world. Foy masterfully captures the emotions of the young daughter who so completely loves her dad and feels utterly betrayed by his decision to leave. Early on Brand (Hathaway) breaks down and I resented the 'hysterically emotional woman' implications of that. When I stepped back, though, I realized that unlike Cooper her whole life has been about the success of this one mission. She abruptly learns that a lifetime of planning and a lifetime of personal sacrifices does not guarantee success. Dr Mann (Damon) faces similar realities but allows it to blacken his heart. Damon perfectly plays the obsessed man. Interstellar is a thrill ride that I hope to go on again and again.