Intelligent Science Fiction

Rating: 7/10 (24 December 2014)

Interstellar is an interesting, thoughtful science fiction film with a good cast. It depicts a near future where an environmental disaster has sent Earth into an irreversible decline, forcing humanity to seek a new home in another galaxy. Although it is not as good as Christopher Nolan's other work, it still rises above most other blockbuster, high budget sci-fi.
A number of factors make Interstellar better than average. First of all, it avoids the clichéd film apocalypse with lots of CGI explosions and a central villain. In this movie, the world dies not with a bang, but a whimper as our food crops gradually die out. It also gives interesting consideration to the social effects of such a catastrophe. More importantly, it treats the audience as at least somewhat intelligent. Although I'm certain Neil DeGrasse Tyson could pick it apart on Twitter if he so desired, the film attempts to be somewhat scientifically plausible, incorporating relativity theory and even a mathematical equation as major plot points. It's disturbingly rare for movies in recent years to aim at an intelligence level above that of a thirteen year old.
The film also benefits from good designs of its space ships and robots. The robots deserve particular mention. Rather than the typical humanoid looking designs, the filmmakers created a genuinely original, even plausible robot.
The main weak point in the film is that it tries to insert too optimistic an ending, when the story really wasn't building to one. Nevertheless, it is well worth watching.