Of Love and Physics

Rating: 10/10 (6 November 2014)

Some movies are really events that must be seen in the format they were created for (Avatar is the best comparison I can make). If you can, I would highly suggest seeing Interstellar on an IMAX screen. If there was only one movie you were going to see at the movie theater this year, this would be the one I'd suggest going to. Do not go expecting an action or comedy flick. This movie was intense and emotionally moving, but felt more deliberate and "heavy" than I originally expected. There was little to laugh about, but that didn't stop the movie from grabbing hold of you and making you love it. The visuals are some of the most potent I've ever experienced in a movie. It's fair to make the comparisons to Gravity and 2001, but Interstellar owns it's own place alongside those greats. Without giving anything away, I will just say that some of the use of imagery to explain phenomena that we can barely comprehend was so vividly explanatory that it belonged in a graduate level physics classroom as much as any theater. And you always felt like you were right there with the actors. It was an incredible (and incredibly exhausting) ride. Hans Zimmer does an amazing job scoring the film. No massive overtures to remember or make ringtones from, but everything fits together like a glove. As much as this movie is about man reaching beyond the confines of Earth, it's equally (and possibly even more so) about the relationship of a man and his daughter, and a father's love that connects them beyond space and time. The acting is superb and each actor owns their roles, but it does feel a little cold. The double themed movie is constantly pulling you in opposite directions (I believe intentionally) and it doesn't leave much space for deeper character understanding. Interstellar has incredible action, epic visuals, heart string pulling drama and of course the mind-bending plot points that you should now expect from Nolan, but gives it all to you in a package you're not quite sure you're ready to accept. You will question whether it's possible. And that to me (after having to sleep on it...) is it's brilliance.