Filmmaker Christopher Nolan's valentine (of sorts) to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

Rating: 9/10 (12 November 2014)

INTERSTELLAR (2014) ***1/2 Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Mackenzie Foy, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi, William Devane, Leah Cairns, Topher Grace, Timothy Chalamet, Brooke Smith (voice of Bill Irwin) Filmmaker Christopher Nolan's valentine (of sorts) to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (and to his daughter) continues his streak of audacious sense of space (literally) and the inner human spirit : set in the bleak future Earth is on the descent of humanity with continuous food demands and climate change with one Hail Mary of a plan by NASA - send a small crew thru a wormhole (just go with it) to see if 'they' can help us. A grand ensemble of talent assembled but it is truly a shining moment of cool-as-a-cucumber and deeply felt performance by McConaughey as the astronaut/pilot of the journey into the realms of desperation, anchoring the film with a transfixing turn (largely due to his interplay with young talented actress Foy as his daughter - later played with clear-eyed intensity by Chastain), no easy task with all the eye candy visuals that are indeed awe inspiring and a kissing cousin to GRAVITY for sheer amazement (one must see it on a big screen and IMAX would be a start as it was filmed in the medium). Hathaway has a few moments as well particularly with her brainy scientist dad Caine (a Nolan regular). The true stars are the breathtaking cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema, a stellar score by frequent collaborator Hans Zimmer and fantastic visual effects by literally dozens of geniuses. The only stumbling block is its slightly heavy handed message getting across but the Twilight Zone-ish final act makes up for it in spades. WOW!