To the stars and beyond

Rating: 10/10 (15 December 2014)

Wow. What can be said about Interstellar that hasn't been said before? So I'll just share my thoughts and feelings about this movie. The Nolan brothers have hit yet another home-run with this intergalactic masterpiece. The story is about a single father who's trying to raise his children and provide for them and his father in law. The world is sick, very sick in fact. Cropses are dying and harvests are lost. Farmers have become the world's most important job but soon humanity (or at least a very small part of it) realizes earth can not be saved and that they have to turn to the stars to find salvation.
Matthew McConaughey has come a long way since his roles as a piece of man-candy in chick-flicks and he proves it yet again here. He plays his role as Cooper perfectly. The heartache he has to go through while making an impossible choice really pulls you into the story. Saving humanity or seeing his children once more... Anne Hathaway fits the role of Brand well. She's not sexualized as she was in The Dark Knight Rises which gives her the chance to win you over with her acting. And win you over she will! Michael Caine is Michael Caine so you know what to expect there: greatness. Jessica Chastain is wonderful as Murph. She's so strong yet so fragile and it's just heartbreaking to watch her emotional journey. Cassey Affleck takes on the role of Murph's brother and does a great job. There's one more surprise appearance by a big actor which I won't spoil for you. You can already tell the acting jobs are top notch in this picture and they have to be. The story touches on some existential themes which are difficult to comprehend. You have to understand and feel the emotions the characters are going through to grasp the purpose of the story fully.
Visually Interstellar impresses. With actual physicists working on the movie you get the most accurate pictures of unearthly events. The visual of black hole Gargantua is actually being used in a scientific publication. The other planets the team visit are equally stunning as they are interesting. Without going in too much detail, the planets feature things we all know but they are portrayed in a way you've never seen before.
Now let me take the time to gush over the music in this film. You may think the music isn't as important as the acting or the story but it's with music this good you understand it is actually a character in the movie. The music is gorgeous. It's epic when it needs to be and emotional when the story requires it. I found myself nearly in tears over the music when I didn't expect it. Hans Zimmer proves he can create delicate and fragile pieces of music as well as epic, dark and heavy soundtracks like he has done for The Dark Knight Trilogy.
So in summary Interstellar isn't just a space movie. It isn't a science- fiction movie at heart. It's a movie about humanity and about saving it and not just in a literal sense. It's about finding our own humanity. It's about family, it's about love because that is the main theme which drives the characters. It's the core foundation for all their actions and choices. But above all, this film is about hope. It's about believing in ourselves and the power we can muster when we fight for our loved ones.
Interstellar is one of the most amazing movies I've ever had the privilege to see. Please, go see this film.