Going Interstellar

Rating: 10/10 (6 May 2015)

I must confess that I've been interested in Interstellar for awhile now. Then again, I've been interested in space exploration since childhood, a side-effect I suspect of growing up near NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center where the Saturn V rockets of the Apollo era were designed. Also being something of a fan of Nolan's previous films, the idea of him doing a space film was something that seemed irresistible. Indeed, Interstellar is a film not only didn't disappoint but improves with each new viewing with the result being that it could well be the best science fiction film in recent memory.
Those familiar with Nolan's work may be surprised that the man who brought us perhaps cinema's most successful take on Batman and films like Inception would be interested in taking us out into the realms of interstellar space. Yet the film contains many of the hallmarks of Nolan's films that make it something that only he could make. It certainly has the epic scale we've come to expect from Nolan's recent films as it takes the viewer from agrarian future Earth, the spacecraft Endurance and distant planets in another galaxy as well as showing Nolan's ability to take often difficult ideas and ground them in a reality viewers can understand.
Nolan, speaking in the 2011 documentary These Amazing Shadows, talked about liking films that make the audience come back again and again for which he specifically cited Kubrick's 2001. Interstellar most certainly falls into that category, partly because Nolan makes use of one of his favorite storytelling techniques: non-linear storytelling. Nolan grounds the film within the theory of relativity and its implications, something that becomes increasingly important as the film progresses. That non-linear storytelling also becomes a strong emotional force late in the film as we see father and daughter, one in space and one on Earth, struggling to overcome difficulties as each tries to carry out their end of the plan to save humanity. Yet where that non-linear plotting comes to the fore with the films ending which, I must confess, initially left me wondering if Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat had taken a pass at the script. All of which invites viewers to come back to it again and again in search of answers.
Those willing to return to it will find much to appreciate about it. There's the performances for example. Nolan films tend to be well cast affairs anyways but with a cast including Matthew McConaughey, Nolan stalwart Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain in major roles with Mackenzie Foy, John Lithgow, and Ellen Burstyn in supporting roles, it's hard to find a single role miscast here or to imagine anyone else in those parts. McConaughey's performance especially is powerful with it being more than equal to his Oscar winning performance in 2013's Dallas Buyers Club. Mention must also be made of the trio of actresses playing Murph, especially Foy and Chastain, as they become the film's emotional anchor to the Earth once Cooper launches out into space.
Production wise as well, there's plenty to be impressed by. The film's five Oscar nominations were for production values and it isn't hard to see why. There's the Oscar winning special effects that, thanks to the input of science consultant Kip Thorne, present us with an as-accurate-as-possible journey through a wormhole as well as distant planets and a trip to that strangest of all phenomenon: a black hole. There's some fantastic production design work covering a wide range of sets and locations which presents us with the most credible depiction of a near-future you're likely to see anytime soon.
The icing on the cake though might well be the score from Hans Zimmer, which is the exact opposite of what one has come to expect from him. This score sees him taking a minimalist approach more comparable with Phillip Glass' work on the documentaries of Errol Morris than say Man Of Steel. Yet Zimmer's score also can build to incredible moments of raw musical power as demonstrated by the scene where Cooper leaves home, the music during the sequence on Miller's planet and the sequence that closes the film. That the score didn't win an Oscar is one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.
Yet what makes this stand out from something like 2001 is its script. 2001, despite some of its big ideas and visuals, is at times a cold and clinical film where the most human character is the HAL 9000 computer. Interstellar definitely has its share of striking visuals and fascinating scientific concepts but that's not really what the film is about at an emotional level. The film explores humanity's place not just on this pale blue dot but out in the universe from our potential as a species to that fight or flight reflex that leads some of us to do incredible things and others to commit terrible acts of cowardice Interstellar speaks to what drives us and asks what we are capable of, telling us that, in the words of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas that becomes almost a refrain throughout the film, we should not go gentle into that good night and rage, rage against the dying of the light.
For me, Interstellar is Nolan's best film yet. It's a remarkable piece of film-making filled with strong performances, incredible visuals and a stunning score. Those things though are all just part of what makes the film as good as it is. Unlike so much out there today, the ultimate message of the film is one of hope. It's a stirring and inspiring tale, told in a science fiction context that brings to my mind what the late Carl Sagan, speaking thirty-five years ago in Cosmos, said: "The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to stars." Interstellar shows that we can and that we might just do it too.