Grandiose Achievement

Rating: 9/10 (19 November 2014)

Interstellar is one of those films that initially leave you thinking, "Hmm that was incredible, but hmm". When I watched the film for the first time I was completely awe-struck by the ambiguous nature of the deeply philosophical undertones and the grandiose of the cinematic landscapes. Nolan's incredible talent of using simplicity and complexity to captivate the audience never fails, and he has certainly given Interstellar his best. Because of the deep and wide range of the film I decided to give it a second watch before coming to my conclusion and writing a review.
The first time I watched the film, I was struck by the obvious. The film was exploring Humanistic philosophies and trumpeting the existential value of scientific progressivism. The film leads us down a path where Darwinian evolution has progressed humanity passed its current limitations. In the end we learn that Dr. Brand indeed touched the hand of the divine, but it wasn't the transcendent "they"; it was Cooper. As famous British writer, Arthur C. Clarke, has famously pronounced, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".
After watching the film for a second time, however, I was taken aback by a facet of the film that I had only somewhat noticed before. In one particular scene, Dr. Brand expels a monologue on the mysterious concept of "love". This concept seemed somewhat out of place in the grand naturalistic worldview. When I re-evaluated the relationship between Cooper and Murph, however, I realized that the metaphysical concept of "love" permeated the entire film. Love saved the human race, not gravity.
Perhaps (in Interstellar) love is the monistic divinity that ultimately saved humanity. Or, perhaps love and humanity are the same. Maybe 1 John was wrong; Cooper is love, not God. Whatever the reason be, I am still left wondering why Nolan saw it necessary to include such a metaphysical and supernaturalistic concept in a seemingly materialistic world. If Darwinian evolution really did save humanity and science gave us the answers to our existential questions, then there should be no need for illogical concepts such as love. Cooper himself was adamant about this in the beginning of the film.
In the end, Interstellar really was an epic film. It asked questions and sought answers in a way that took most of us by surprise. I was simply expecting an epic adventurous saga in which Cooper finds a new world to save humanity; the end. That isn't what we got. Instead we were given a much deeper and more ontologically satisfying glimpse into the future.