A journey into space, time, and humanity

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2015)

The word "epic" is often overused - not just with films but also with lie-ins, bowel motions and sandwiches.
This, however, is an EPIC film. And it's also a very personal film for Christopher Nolan, which you can see in the way he weaves his various cinematic influences into the different sections of the film but while the influences are strong and clear, this is not just a smug exercise in "spot the reference" for the Sci-fi crowd. It's a film that stands on its own well- constructed feet. The scenes on earth Back At The Ol' Homestead never seem hokey; the emotional scenes of loss and isolation out in space really hit home - Particularly, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) watching his children's video messages is absolutely devastating. Meanwhile, the final - bizarre - sequence is about as close to representing its concept cinematically as it's possible to get. Very old fashioned Science Fiction, that section, but with new technologies in filmmaking helping to make it seem all the more plausible.
As a musician, of course, I have to mention Hans Zimmer's score. I mean blimey! People complained that it drowned out the dialogue in places, but of course that was Nolan's intention. It's such an overwhelming score, because the situations the characters face are similarly mindblowing. In the rocket launch scene, you really feel pinned back into your chair - and it's not just a case of Nolan turning the volume up; Zimmer's score in these powerful sequences is so dense and majestic, you crumble underneath the sheer weight of it, proving why he's always one step ahead of the pack (every action and science fiction film since The Dark Knight and Inception has copied his "BWAAAAAAAAAAARP! Dumdumdumdumdumdumdumdumdum BWAAAAAAAAAAAARP!" score).
Erk, I've gone on a bit with this one. But when you see it, you'll know why. Oh yeah - one last thing: how can a "black hole" sequence still be impressive these days when you know it's all done on computers anyway? Well this, somehow, manages to be impressive. Because of the guidance of Dr Kip Thorne, it feels so more organic and realistic than a run of the mill sci-fi flick that just puts lots of cool flashing lights and swirly things on the scree.
Some people complain this film is overblown and overlong. I think they're wrong, and had it been 4 hours long, I wouldn't have noticed.
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