A sci-fi epic

Rating: 8/10 (24 November 2014)

An epic science fiction movie.
Not just epic due to its running time - about 2 3/4 hours - but also due to its physical scale and the boldness of its concepts. Christopher Nolan has shaped a movie that tackles some fairly complex astrophysical issues, and carried it off with aplomb.
Fantastic special effects, a clever plot and decent performances by an all-star cast.
Not perfect though. The sci fi parts are great but the relationship / human drama stuff seems clumsy at times.
The scene setting at the beginning seems to take forever. We all know the really good stuff - the space scenes - are coming at some stage but Nolan draws out the more mundane earth stuff.
Plus, there are scenes and plot detours which feel unnecessary, and periods where the movie seems to drift. The Matt Damon sub-plot just felt like padding.
Some of the seemingly unnecessary, overly contrived or implausible things do ultimately have a purpose. The conclusion ties up many loose ends and/or justifies some of the flat moments, but not all.