Inspirational, heart-wrenching and pioneering. A contemplation of humanity when facing the brink of extinction featuring the hardest decision a father has ever made

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 2020)

Where to begin. There's no movie like it and despite the possible scientific inaccuracies and plot holes, the movie shines for many other reasons. The visual effects and the CGI which aren't abused of as they share the spotlight with outstanding practical effects based on models and real-life robots; it's spectacularly jaw-dropping. The execution of the story, the overall ideas and concepts and the final conclusion drives the audience to a mind-blowing perplexion and awe.
To see the portrayal of space travelling in such a realistic approach showcasing a how and what it would look like if we had the tools and means to do it is breath-taking and trully inspiring. The movie wanders into realms yet unknown to mankind today so it pulls from fiction and creative imagery to portray things but always stretching the scientific and theoretical basis as long as it can before deciding to make it up. If only the negative critics of this movie would take a closer look at how Christopher Nolan directs his movies they'd see the amount of research and scientists he works with to try to capture whatever he's working on as realistically as possible. He did it for this movie and he also did it for Inception and probably many other of his movies.
But the "interstellar" space travelling is just a vessel for the real story the movie holds. A story about humanity and the tough decisions we will have to face when and if we face the brink of extinction and the planet can no longer host us as we keep mistreating it. This planet's resources are finite and with anything finite in quantity they're bound to run out eventually. And when that time comes, we will all hope to have the emotional and mindful strength the Coopers and the Brands had in this movie, to look at the others and realise if the fate of humanity lies in our hands, can we really do what's necessary and to do what's right?
The movie launches into deep heartwrenching questions and scenarios where we are witness of the best and worse of humanity. And these are only intensified by the tense and scary space travelling slave of time and resources to make the trip possible.
As for the story, I'm not yet a father and yet I feel the painful goodbyes and every stressful moment as time passes by and the answers of the movie are not yet found. The performances of everyone are real and evoque authentic reactions to many of the scenarios the characters are put through. You really do end up loving the characters you are meant to but you never really hate the ones you should because their motivations are well developed and understandable. This is really a human story, it isn't space cowboys or Star Wars with heroes meant to save the universe or the planet, these are people willing to risk everything to do it, no superpowers, lightsabers or laser guns.
Ever since I first saw the movie I felt a deep connection with it. The movie makes you think, it makes you reflect on us and of what place we occupy in the universe. It makes you stare at the sky, at the stars and wonder what the universe holds beyond what we know. Are there others like us, are there other planets we could some day visit? How far can and will humanity's pioneering potential reach? These questions find a possible answer in the movie without using conventional and well-known ideas and concepts.
Another worthy highlight of the movie: the soundtrack. The composer Hans Zimmer is known to be the mastermind behind scores like the Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Inception, the Last Samurai, Gladiator ,etc. Today he's one of the most astounding composers in cinema and proof of that is the score of this movie. Tense and teeth clenching when necessary as well as inspiring and uplifting when the situation requires it. It's unique and holds secrets within I highly recommend you research when you have the time.
IN CONCLUSION, the movie is a parade of fantastic special effects, music, tense and light situations, contemplative thinking and reasoning, an endearing but heart-wrenching story about humanity and the prospects of facing extinction and what choices and decisions can and should be made. The movie has more bullets in its magazines so unfortunately (or not, depending how you look at it) it requires more than one viewing to fully understand every detail in the plot and also visual cues for you to understand better the "science" behind it.
Finally, it's true that when you first watch the movie you might end up confused or asking questions. And for those who have never watched a Christopher Nolan movie, this is common with his movies. They are meant to make you think and question what you saw, it's not for the light block-bustery seeking audiences who expected yet another Star Wars. If you take the time to look at what it's trying to say you will be treated with an incredibly well-developed story that may lack in craftmanship or other plot mistakes, but it makes up in a powerful story with well performed characters and an emotional journey. And for the engineers and other scientists like me, you'll probably want to fix the world and build a rocket after watching this movie. It's uplifting and inspiring for those who studied and dream to create and improve society by the use of technology, math and science. And remember "do not go gentle into that good night".