Interstellar: Contemporary Space Odyssey

Rating: 8/10 (9 November 2014)

In Interstellar Christopher Nolan creates a breathtaking 70mm (the only way to see this movie) space epic. Starting Matthew McConaughey still riding high on the wave of the McConasaunce, as Cooper. McConaughey shows an even stronger emotional performance than the one that won him an Oscar in Dallas Buyers Club (2013). Just less of a physical transformation. Cooper is a father torn between his family and an opportunity to save the human race from destruction. This film is packed with A-list, top of their game actors who add icing to the cake on what is by itself a visually breathtaking movie. Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Michael Cane, John Lithgow and Casey Affleck to name a few. If you are a fan of Science Fiction this film is a must rush out an see, what are you waiting for, catch the next showing, movie. If you are not a fan of science fiction you might want to save this one for a rental. At 2 hours and 49 minutes, this film is a journey and investment that pays off greatly in the end. If you enjoyed last years Gravity (2013), you will like this just as much if not more. I am a huge fan of the late great director Stanley Kubrick. I have no doubt Christopher Nolan and his brother co-writter Jonathan Nolan belong to that same fan club. Interstellar is a contemporary 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). There are moments in Interstellar I longed to hear the beautifully orchestrated 2001 soundtrack to create that same emotion. So much to where after the movie I went home and immediately re-watched 2001. There is a comment made in Interstellar that the Apollo 11 space mission was faked, as an attempt to bankrupt the Soviet Union. Watch the documentary Room 237 (2012) and see what some people (myself included) think about Kubrick's role in the global ruse. 2001 was truly a film before its time. So why not have a new 2001; the year has come and gone. Interstellar is set in the future obviously, yet no actual date is ever mentioned. I assume so as not to date the material. The message in this space odyssey is much warmer than Kubrick's. Technology is no longer to be feared as in 2001. It is a companion, TARS the robot voiced by Bill Irwin is the exact opposite of HAL 9000; Helpful, funny, insightful and user friendly. Yet in appearance TARS is a cross between the 2001 monolith and a Transformer. The pressing need for environmental change and mankind's fear of extinction is the overall message. Its solution is much like that of the Beatles, all you need is love. Overall, not looking in too deep into all the plot points, and not getting too lost in the science of relativity and quantum physics; Interstellar delivers the best Science Fiction film this year.
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