A completely captivating and inspiring science fiction unlike any other

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2015)

In one of the most captivating films of 2014, Christopher Nolan produces a stunning masterpiece of science, cinematography, musical scores, and unanswered questions. Space is our final frontier, being largely unexplored and incomprehensible for most. Nolan daringly tackles this subject like none before; the science in Interstellar is on an entirely new level of complexity as opposed to the usual science-fiction film. Over the course of three gripping hours, viewers are transported into the future of our world: blight has completely wiped out vegetation, save for corn, and caused the Earth to be covered in dust. The main characters in the film assist the somehow still existing NASA by leaving Earth, entering a wormhole, and arriving in a distant solar system orbiting a super massive black hole, hoping to find a planet that is habitable. Because of Einstein's theory of relativity, the astronauts experience time differently than back on Earth, which is just one of their never ending list of problems to overcome. Though the movie is very science-dense and the characters don't usually stop to try to explain what is happening, as would be expected in a usual science-fiction film, the three hours of Interstellar have got to be the most entertaining, most heart-wrenching, most fascinating, most awe-inspiring hours spent in a movie theater. The movie takes viewers into an entirely different world that is far different from ours today, but humanness has not changed. The actors in the film demonstrate, undeniably, the universal and timeless expression of the pain of losing the ones you love and having to abandon everything you've ever known. The emotions the characters must be feeling are portrayed so well; the expressions of absolutely heartbreak and fear can be clearly seen on their faces, and the musical score behind it all, brilliantly composed by Hans Zimmer, adds an incredible effect that leaves viewers feeling everything the characters feel. Many would argue that, as a science-fiction film, there should not an emphasis on emotions and love, but, as the characters discuss, what would be the purpose of anything they do without love, not just for their families and significant others, but for humanity as a whole? It is within reason and justification to include such discussion because, without it, the film would just not be an accurate representation of the human experience, in space or on Earth. Once the movie is over, the audience is left with so many more questions than answers, and not just about the science in the movie. Without giving away details, the ending calls for viewers to walk away and deeply process what they just saw. This is what makes the film so great- it starts a conversation. Should we stop genetically modifying crops to avoid a blight? How possible are the events in the movie? What is relativity, and what really is time? More than anything, this movie is exciting because it inspires people to explore science and mathematics.