It's not his best, but it's still stunning

Rating: 10/10 (26 September 2015)

Many people will claim to be 'Christopher Nolan's biggest fan', so I'll add myself to that list as a huge admirer of his work, and to the group that can't actually believe he hasn't won an Oscar.
Consequently my hopes are always sky high when it comes to his latest movie, and when it came to Inception, while it took two views, my hopes turned out conservative.
But we're here for Interstellar. When it emerged Nolan's next picture was to essentially turn his attention to space my trust was implicit in him that it would be something special - and those hopes were realised, but I will concede he has done even more special work than this.
Interstellar sees McConaughy's retired naval pilot Coop trapped in a borderline post-apocalyptic earth of the near future where dust and blight are basically killing all crops and mankind with them. The only way to save man is to find a new home, and Michael Caine's Professor Brand has a plan to achieve that, but it will require Coop to abandon his family (including beloved daughter Murph) for an indeterminate period while the plan goes into action.
So just how good is Interstellar? Plot wise it's another which requires a couple of views to get the most out of it, and while you will feel much more satisfied on that second viewing, there will remain questions which come as a result of the topic - space, time travel and quantum mechanics are astounding topics to take on in cinema, and Nolan would never have been able to cover them all flawlessly. It's a fantastically compelling story, which has created a massive world of intrigue within itself - philosophical questions will abound for months, years afterwards, and those little plot holes probably only add to that.
Directorally I would concede it is not his best piece of work - some aspects here are a little muddled and not overly clear - such a convoluted storyline was impossible to smooth over completely - but cinematography-wise it's by far his best. Some of the cascading views you will see here, in conjuction with the truly staggering special effects/CGI (the black hole and tsunamis are simply gorgeous), are mesmerising and probably the best ever seen in cinema.
It is a slight pity, in terms of plot, that while it's well known Nolan made this his most personal and emotional film yet, the themes of love don't truly convince in the way they're delivered. A monologue Anne Hathaway's Brand gives reeks of Nolan's own opinion desperate to find a place for itself in this story, and it doesn't work.
But the soundtrack does - very different to Inception, and no less epic, haunting or beautiful, even if the same riffs and melodies tend to be reused a lot.
The acting? McConaughy's muddy Texan accent still struggles to make sense - same trouble with True Detective, but that aside it's entirely flawless from the entire cast.
And lastly the ending. Some will not be happy with it - my issue with it was how abruptly it was delivered, and how the mild flaws in overall direction led to it not being as coherent as it could have.
Overall it is still a 10/10 - Nolan is judged in different ways to mere mortal directors, and the only one of his films I haven't got as 10/10 is Insomnia, itself a remake. But it's the weakest of his non-Batman movies.
Still outstanding though.