A Tale Of The Human Spirit

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2017)

"Interstellar" is a movie about a lot of different things: Exploring the cosmos, family, future stability of planet Earth, time-travel, and science ethics in general. Perhaps most importantly, though, "Interstellar" is about something much more important that hasn't been listed yet: the depth of the human spirit.
For a basic plot summary, "Interstellar" is the story of Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a farmer in Earth's future. He isn't a farmer by trade, but rather out of necessity, as in this film's future Earth is perilously close to running out of food, and thus all workers (starting even in the school system) are assigned an occupation based on needs rather than wants. At heart, Cooper is an engineer who loves tinkering with things and dreams of "something bigger" than the dust-patch he currently resides on. One day, through a chance series of events, Cooper is introduced to Professor Brand (Michael Caine), a fellow dreamer who has concocted a scheme to leave Earth and settle on a new home. The catch? A trip through an intergalactic wormhole is required, which hasn't ever quite been done successfully. So, saddling up with Brand (Anne Hathaway), the professor's daughter, Coop volunteers for the mission, leaving behind his two children, Murph (Mackenzie Foy) and Tom (Timothee Chalamet), to await his promised return.
After walking out of the theater upon this film's conclusion, the first thought that struck me was "Wow...that movie had it all". I don't know if I've ever seen a film so ambitiously tackle so many areas and yet manage to follow through successfully on all of them. I don't care who you are or where you come from...there is something in this flick that will appeal to you.
Usually, I am wary of film's like this, as all too often they "bite off more than they can chew" and in trying to tackle everything end up doing nothing completely successful. That all changes, however, with Christopher Nolan behind the camera, backed up by brother Jonathan Nolan writing the screenplay. There hasn't been a thing that the Nolan Bros. have worked on that hasn't been utterly fantastic in both scope and execution. In this case, they reach for the stars (in quite a literal sense!) and get there.
"Interstellar" is also a film I would highly recommended seeing in the largest and clearest possible format. I saw a special showing in IMAX 75mm film, and it was extraordinary. The best part? The visuals are not distractions from the overall plot (again, cue the Nolans here). This isn't a "look pretty but have little substance" flick (I'm looking at you, "Gravity"). The visuals (and even the Hans Zimmer score) perfectly compliment the plot/characters.
But this film's brilliance doesn't end with a great story or stunning visuals. Great characters provide the emotional drama of any story, and "Interstellar" has those in spades. McConaughey gives perhaps the best performance I've ever seen from him. You'd never know he was once mocked as "king of the rom-com". Nolan "vets" Caine ("The Prestige", "Batman Trilogy") & Hathaway (Catwoman in "Dark Knight Rises) also are spot-on in their respective roles. Jessica Chastain (playing a role that I can't discuss much for fear of spoilers!) just continues to build her career that was put in motion by a powerful "Zero Dark Thirty" performance. At times, even child actor Foy can steal the show with her emotional range. A true gem of a cast, to say the least.
As I mentioned earlier, though, perhaps the greatest feat of "Interstellar" is its ability to tell a story that will touch your very spirit. Human beings are, by our very nature, curious beings (being gifted with the most advanced brain of any being found in the universe...at least so far) and thus explorers. The "Space Race" of the 1960s fed off that instinct, and Nolan capitalizes on it in this film. While by no means being a "rah rah" type of film (every character is very grounded with human faults as well), "Interstellar" does strike a chord when it comes to the human spirit and the power it can possess.
When the Academy Awards start gearing up later this year, I truly hope that "Interstellar" and its cast/crew are richly rewarded for their superb efforts all around. This is easily the most stirring experience I had watching a movie in 2014, and I have a feeling it will last for quite some time as well.
So, if you are looking for a movie that sets its scope as high as humanly possible and pretty much obtained the goal, "Interstellar" is for you. I could continue to go on and on about the things it did well, but it can also be boiled down to one thing: it will make you FEEL on so many different levels. When was the last time a movie made you care so deeply about the characters/circumstances in such a deep, "human" way that you felt like you were right beside them? If it's been awhile since you've seen a movie that fits those requirements, then "Interstellar" will be a special treat.