A Bit of a Disappointment

Rating: 4/10 (7 November 2014)

When I first heard of the making of this film, I had reservations about it. Then, I learned that a well-known scientist(Kip Thorne) was attached to it as a technical consultant and my interest began to increase. Getting it right, scientifically, seldom works with the film industry, although there have been limited occasions where it has. Avatar, Kubrick's classic 2001 back in 1968, and one even further back, Forbidden Planet (1956) show that it can be done.
With this in mind, I thought this might be one of those rare ones that could live up to my expectations. I mean, after all, Christopher Nolan and Thorne. How could it fail. I've always believed that, in order to make a quality science fiction film, you have to have a writer that knows what the genre is all about. In this case, there is not only the potential for quality writing from Nolan but also scientific expertise from one of the top scientist in the field - what could go wrong...go wrong.... Well, in spite of all that, it did just that.
Yes, it was a visual treat that applied all the wonderful effects developed over the years. And it did that very well. But that's not enough anymore; at least not for me.
What I experienced instead was story that was based on a premise that was faulty almost from the start with scientific shortcomings and implausible circumstances. And that's where the disappointment comes in for me. I can understand Nolan's possible lack of detailed knowledge of wormholes, time dilation, gravity effects, and the like, but how could a respected scientist like Thorne allow it? Unless of course he had little control over the film's production. Alas, that is probably the case.
I'm not going into any detail about the the actual story because that is already well documented in other reviews. I end with a final summary and opinion: If you know little about that actual scientific aspects of the various theories touched upon in this film, you'll probably find it entertaining. If, on the other hand, you have sufficient knowledge of what we humans actually know of such things; you too, may be a bit disappointed.