Welcome To Matthew McConaughey's Face

Rating: 4/10 (23 November 2014)

This contains spoilers. I don't normally support or condone drug use, but you might not want to see this movie sober, especially if you like logic or consistency.
I have to say that I absolutely loved some of the visuals, which were first-rate and well-done. I loved the sequence of them flying into the wormhole in particular. It was a joy ride, literally.
The cinematography was first rate. No question.
What I didn't like.
Some of the cast and cheesy dialog didn't work for me. Matt Damon was a buzz kill. What movie is this again? Is there an actor shortage? I was half expecting Samuel Jackson to appear next asking for his space suit? I didn't buy Hathaway's character development or her portrayal of it. First, she comes off as cold and clinical, then she is talking about the power of love. And Coop is all about love of family but makes the cold clinical decision to forego the love planet. The young daughter's performance and lines felt, well, scripted. And outside of a few European films, I have never seen so many extreme close-ups in my life. I know we are on a spaceship and are supposed to feel claustrophobic, but come on, do we have to be two inches from Matthew McConaughey's face the whole time.
David Gyasi was fantastic and I actually wished he had more screen time. Ellen Burstyn was a pleasant surprise.
The score by Hans Zimmer was absurd. Nothing subtle about it. I almost felt like my ears were date raped. You notice this too when there is suddenly silence in the film in space, but then you start wondering why isn't it more silence. Science fact: No sound in space.
I could buy that the Earth was in trouble, but it didn't make sense that the situation could not be fixed. Certainly, the challenges to fix the problems on Earth would not be greater than trying to grow corn in space.
But one of my biggest problems that kept pulling me out of the movie was the unbelievability of the story within itself.
We are led to believe that Coop exists in a dust-bowl, corn-fed, truck-driving world, and doesn't think twice about driving through corn fields, yet he only lives a few hours away from a massive spaceship under construction as well as the rocket launching pad for an underground NASA? Okay, I will still go along.
And then he fires out into space, and lo and behold, we have a spaceship already there and it can put you into an Avatar-type sleep chamber. But wait!! This is not a clean sleep chamber, this is a space station with dirty tile floors, and you just hop in, clothes and all, the life sauce just goes over you. No squirming or gagging. Just under you go, clothes and all, and you are good to go. And what's more, the chambers apparently don't need maintenance and can run forever. It seems right there that is your solution to the problem on Earth. Just put everyone in the life sauce and wake them up when the weather is better. And...and...when you are awaken, as Matt Damon is, no coughing, no gagging, no huffing and puffing...no speech like you hear the guy in Avatar giving...."You will be nauseous. You will be tired.." No you are just up and at em. 100% good to go. Yes, that's some good technology us humans already have. Hmmm, maybe that could solve our extinction problem.
Any hoo, after that, we suddenly have Anne Hathaway change characters and now she is giving a monologue ala Huey Lewis and The News about the Power of Love, and about why she so much wants to hook up with someone she loves. But Coop, although fresh off a cry fest on the video monitor with his kids, is inexplicably the cold clinician now is having none of that love talk and wants to go to the planet that is still giving off a signal. That's real. That's tangible. What's love got to do with it? And then, the kicker, Matt Damon appears, and it is the Bourne Supremacy on Planet X. And even though he has been in death sleep for God only knows how long, he can still kick butt and head butt you so hard you space helmet will crack. And then, Matthew McConaughey will struggle for breath and be conveniently rescued by Anne Hathaway flying the millennium falcon. I thought Coop was the pilot. Maybe he taught her how to fly in a love scene we didn't see? Kind of like Ghost and that ceramic pot, except it would have been Matthew putting his hands on hers while she worked the controls. Oh maybe, us humans have a Matrix-type training program that you plug into your brain and you download your flight skills. Us humans have some good technology in the future, but we can't save that darn corn!! I was also thrown out of the movie at other points, especially when they landed on water world. And how convenient is that? Well, the whole planet only has three feet of water, just shallow enough for the landing gear. And even when your space ship, let's call it the Millennium Falcon, gets hit by a tidal wave, it doesn't damage anything. You just have to let it air out and it should be good to go in about an hour. The ship is basically indestructible. That's some amazing technology us humans have again!! And finally, at the very end of the movie, when all is resolved and humanity has been saved, Coop simply hops in another Millennium Falcon and is going to fly back to the love of his life...oh wait...I thought she was in love with someone else. Oh well, it doesn't matter. There is no need for consistency. This is science fantasy.