Not perfect, but Nolan is certainly getting better...

Rating: 9/10 (12 December 2014)

I've scored Interstellar a 9 out of 10, and that's because I genuinely enjoyed it as piece of cinema. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a die- hard 'Nolanite' or whatever they're called now. I find a lot of Nolan's work dull, emotionally sterile and quite tiresome.
The Dark Knight was a beautifully shot action picture with that wonderful symbiotic relationship between the Joker and Batman, but it didn't move me in the way it wanted to. Inception tried terribly hard to make me feel something for Cobb's emotionally unstable dream- hopper, but instead i just shrugged and felt more like 'ooh this all looks very pretty.'The Dark Knight Rises was a fun film, but ultimately a bit of an incoherent mess.
And then onto Interstellar, which is not perfect either by the way. But it's certainly the closest Nolan has gotten to this ideal.
The film has some odd pacing and some narrative inconsistencies which are probably inexcusable, if you were to spend too much time thinking about it. But oh boy, the SCIENCE!! This isn't proper hard sci-fi, and it isn't as far 'out there' as 2001: A Space Odyssey, but in our current cinematic climate, this is a very brave movie and most likely the best 'true sci-fi' we're going to get. Let's not underestimate the importance of that.
And in terms of the grand, cinematic experience, there were definitely a few scenes that made me think 'wow' to myself. Then there was one sequence in particular that made me exclaim 'oh sh*t' aloud in the cinema. Now that is what we pay entry for - to be amazed, and this film did that for me.
This is also the first Nolan film that's emotionally moved me. It may be the choice of particular themes resonated with me on a personal level, or it may be because Mr. Nolan is starting to understand the artistry involved in crafting a tale which moves its audience. Either way, I tried to be a man and not shed a tear in my screening of Interstellar. I sort of succeeded.
Bottom line is, this is Nolan's best film. Yes it's not perfect, but it's the film I identified with the most, so i'll excuse it those minor problems. It's a story of hope and paternal love against the backdrop of space. If that sound's like your thing, then Interstellar will no doubt impress.