Profound, gripping, emotionally beguiling cinema.

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2014)

Christopher Nolan's films have always been ambitious, but never, really, very moving or outwardly emotional. When compared to a Spielberg, or, more recently, a J.J Abrams, his output can even be said to be cold to the touch. Nobody remembers Inception for the Cobb-family reunion, or The Dark Knight for the death of Rachael. Yet, with Interstellar, Nolan and his brother bear their hearts and souls into a science-fiction odyssey that, remarkably, feels as hard as it thinks, and the result is astonishing, profound, majestic cinema.
It seems fitting that Steven Spielberg would pass on the script, as if it were the passing of the torch to a younger, fresher pioneer. The script itself, though concerned with such heady, trippy ideas as a 'tesseract', 'wormholes' and a 'bulk' is, when boiled down, the story of a father and his daughter. Crucially, though the events span through space, time and dimensions, Nolan never loses grip of the emotional crux of the film. The film opens slowly, and establishes the family element very effectively. Cooper (McConaughhey) is a man out of time, who, in the words of a disheveled John Lithgow, 'was either born 40 years too late or 40 years too early', someone who is not content to keep his head down and simply survive in a dying, fascinatingly Dust-Bowl-esque Earth. When the plot finally kicks in, we get the sense of detachment, and the Nolans deal with the separation of Murph (played in young form by Mackensie Foy) and Cooper with a sensitivity not seen before. Here, Nolan is pushing his own boundaries with the human elements. At times, he grasps too far and the film strays into self-importance, what with the overtly preachy 'love transcends time and space' shtick. Even so, the raw emotion at play here is impressively complex and layered, and works brilliantly when spliced against the exploration, saving all of mankind stretch of the second and third acts. Such faltering moments lose their significance when there are so many truly great (not blockbuster great, great great) scenes and stretches. A sequence demonstrating the effects of time-dilation through a series of earth-bound messages presents the film's humanity and brilliance perfectly, and also shows how McConaughey deserves a mention come Oscar time.
Of course, the spectacle on show is unlike anything ever seen before, but Interstellar is surprisingly light on action set-pieces. Indeed, the November release date and lack of a showpiece sequence suggests that perhaps Chris Nolan is attempting to move away from the 'big blockbuster' label that The Dark Knight trilogy has perhaps tagged him with. That the film remains compelling throughout the mammoth running time is testament both to the writing, and certainly the magnificent cast. The script, whilst also handling the human drama with sensitivity and a beautiful simplicity that lends the film its immense, tear-jerking emotional power, it also explores the science and 'big ideas' with skill and tons of intelligence. It obviously helps that they had Kip Thorne to help them, a leading scientist in the field of black-holes, time relativity and 'fifth dimensions'. It certainly works in their favour, as whilst the science is laid on thick, it never hampers the experience itself, but rather, it adds another layer of intrigue to the events. If anything, the confusion adds to the bewildering, beguiling third act, which is, in terms of pacing, plot and character, the strongest of the film, where Nolan dares to answer most, if not all, of the questions he asks. It's a bold move, and one that truly brings a feeling that Interstellar could be his masterpiece. The work of his cinematographer, who's previous work on Her and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was also superb, lends the film an almost indescribable beauty, and awe-inspiring sense of scale. It is, perhaps, the best visual representation of space ever created, and definitely earns the right to be considered against the mighty sci-fi classics 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Blade Runner.
This holds up in terms of casting, which is perhaps the strongest Nolan has got to work with so far. Matthew McConaughey continues to astound, but here he shows a masterful restraint, and is thus the perfect leading man, oozing charisma and charm, but also an emotional restraint, anchoring the visual spectacle and huge narrative developments and reveals. Michael Caine is finally given a genuinely important supporting role, with a disquieting performance of the scientist who leads Cooper 'into that good night', and provides a substantial amount of the film's issues and dramatic tension. Hathaway manages to be likable in perhaps the weakest role, and her relationship with Cooper brings further depth. It is, however, Mackensie Foy's chemistry with McCoanughey as a young Murph that shines, and she shows superb control and maturity in the key role that forms most, if not all, of the film's emotional power. Bill Irwin lends his charming voice to TARS, a fascinatingly designed robot, who's interplay with McConaughey completely charms. This is just one of many little surprises littered throughout a film of joyous innovation and inventiveness, but one that never loses grip of our inherent humanity.