It doesn't all work, but it is beautiful in its efforts

Rating: Null/10 (19 July 2015)

I'd heard fairly mixed things about this film, and often heard praise for elements that I think one shouldn't lead with, so I did put off seeing it until very recently. The reason for this mixed reaction I guess if that it is a very mixed bag of a film, and I can see why people love it, hate it, and a bit of both. The plot sees a series of unexplained events bringing a farmer and former pilot into a group looking to save humanity from the earth, which is currently killing itself and threatening to take mankind with it. Looking to the stars, in particular a black hole which seems to have been placed nearby to allow for travel to much more distant worlds, he learns of previous missions to scout out other planets on the other side, and that he is needed to lead a mission to follow up the promising leads, leaving his family behind potentially forever.
To get it out of the way, there is a lot not to like about the film. It runs very long, and at some points this almost seems deliberate – like it has to be a certain length to be able to be called an epic. It also has variable pacing and plotting across this time, with some elements not making logical sense without even having to nitpick on technical details. However, while it doesn't all come together, the film is no less beautiful for what it does while it is trying to do it all. The visual effects are stunning, with believable space travel and worlds created, to the point that although a lot of it is technobabble, you do tend to go along with it and accept everything being laid out. Just as important as the technical, visionary stuff, is that the film has a very human heart throughout. It is surprisingly emotional, even when in the context of pure sci-fi elements; you do tend to buy characters as people, with their flaws, their pain, their motivations – it is surprising how strong the film is in this regard.
Part of this working is that the performances are universally strong, although to just pick one – Mathew McConaughey is really great throughout. His down-to-earth elements bring the viewer into the film, while he completely nails the emotional content, which again helps convince us of the reality of the situation and passage of time – because we see how it hits his character, so it must be real. The director marshals all this in a feast for the eyes, heart, and brain – it doesn't all work, like I say, and it is far from being the perfect, flawless film that some would suggest, but it is engaging, thoughtful, heartfelt, and very well made.