Interstellar might be the best film of the 21th century thus far

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2015)

At the moment this movie was announced, expectations were already really high. Christopher Nolan made a name for himself incredibly fast, having his first real breakthrough with the mind cracking film Memento. He has directed some of Hollywood's biggest films with the Dark Knight trilogy. The audience and a big part of the critics loved his movies and almost all of them ended in the top 250 best films list. It is no wonder his newest film was highly anticipated, so the critics already sharpened their knives. When the movie was finally released this contrast became really clear. Critics were critic and fans loved it. A big part of the viewers would agree with Interstellar being the best film of the 21th century thus far when considering it is currently ranked at number 16 of the highest rated movies ever made.This review will explain why this film is a worthy contestant for this title.
At first the story. It has been a long time since a science fiction film was made which actually combines two really different subjects; science and emotion. This works out to be really powerful. The core of the story is about a father who has to leave his young daughter to save the human race from extinction by exploring other planets through a wormhole. Concepts, such as the relativity of time, the existence of other dimensions and interstellar space traveling, are blended with a father's love for his daughter. Love in general is a really important theme in this movie and creates a connection between these two seemingly different subjects (science and emotion). This makes the story, although it is about big and incomprehensible subjects, quite intriguing and intimate as well. Combine this with philosophical ideas about sacrifice and what makes us human and you have a winning combination of different elements forming an overwhelming story. Before Christopher Nolan started working on this film, the story was quite different. At first it was a project of Steven Spielberg, who is a more classical Hollywood oriented director. The daughter's 'ghost', for example, was completely absent in the first script. This turns out to be the key point of the film and it shows how Christopher Nolan always tries to amaze and surprise people with his stories. Spielberg's version also contained a lot of wonderful environments and strange creatures. Nolan used giant waves and icy worlds, focussing on realism which fits better with his vision. All these elements together, described in this paragraph, show what makes this story so exceptional and forms the core of the film.
Another important element in this film is music. Where music is mostly used for adding a certain mood or feeling to a scene, Nolan chose to go a totally different way with this film. According to him, music is a fundamental ingredient and not something you add when the meal is finished.He asked composer Hans Zimmer to write a piece of music before the film was made. The only thing Zimmer received was one piece of paper, describing the essence/heart of the film. He took this piece of music he made as starting point for the rest of the music. This provides the film with an extra layer because the music is expressing a story/emotion itself, instead of just emphasizing what is on the screen. Hans and Christopher also did not want to use typical film music instruments. Instead of orchestras filled with violins and drums, they experimented with organs, and choirs just chanting instead of singing melodies, for example. The organ fitted perfectly with the style of the film, playing simple and intimate melodies but also loud and bombastic pieces. It represents the main focus points of the movie with on one hand the father's love for his daughter and on the other hand his task of saving the entire human race. The music really captures the feeling of the film instead of just adding something to it. This is what makes it so special and adds to the strength of the film.
The acting in this film is also quite exceptional. Matthew McConaughey portrays a father in a believable way and is really convincing in the emotions he is showing. Where most blockbusters seem to focus on the action and keeping the plot going forward as fast as possible, Interstellar also focuses on the emotionally intense moments of the main characters.
When there are so many things to admire about this film, then why are critics not that impressed in general? The problem is that they are failing to see the true powers of film and the way Interstellar makes use of them. A film makes you feel something, amazes you, makes you think and completely forget the world around you, making it the best way of escapism. Interstellar does all these things. The plot might be a bit fast paced or incomprehensible, according to some critics, but they are failing to see the film for what it is. When you make a film this big and ambitious in terms of scale and especially story, it is almost impossible to make everything perfect.The fact that this film is a Hollywood production makes Interstellar even more Important. It proves that original films can still succeed in an industry dominated with big franchise films. Interstellar is able to entertain with pure filmmaking, showing an amazing story, acting performances, and the use of music, instead of bombarding the audience with explosions and non- stop special effects. Hollywood is not to blame for this because they are giving the audience what they want and pay for, but when you look at Interstellar, you see there are lots of people willing to pay for something different. When you consider all the aspects which have been described in this review, it will become pretty clear why Interstellar could actually be the best film of the 21th century thus far.