Interstellar is an excellent sci-fi film

Rating: 9/10 (8 November 2014)

Director Christopher Nolan woke up one day, and he thought: "21st century needs its own version of 2001: A Space Odyssey". And so, he decided to make Interstellar. Well, I might be exaggerating. After all, 2001: A Space Odyssey was an economical failure in the time of its release, and it was as the years went by that its huge ambition and influence on the science fiction genre was recognized. So, time will tell whether Intersteller deserves to occupy that same cultural niche. But in my personal case, I think Interstellar is a brilliant science fiction film which will stay in my memory for a long time. To start with, the ideas exposed by Interstellar are fascinating, audacious, and they belong to the level of "serious" science fiction we rarely find in mainstream cinema. And besides, the ideas are raised with a certain subtleness which makes them more universal. For example, the catastrophe which threatens humanity is ambiguous on its shape, but clear on its effects; on that way, the screenplay filters an ecological message which doesn't feel as such, but as an integral part of a vast story, letting the audience assimilate it in order to enrich the experience. In the same way, many of the subjects from Interstellar reside on the periphery of the drama, making us seek them instead of having them spoon-fed. The actors make an excellent work in their roles, highlighting Matthew McConaughey and Mackenzie Foy. My only disappointment regarding the cast was the reduced screen-time from Michael Caine and John Lithgow (two of my favorite actors). Both make a perfect work in their roles, and I truly wanted to see them in an "acting duel"... but they only have one brief scene together, and they barely exchange a few words. I also have to mention the beautiful images and space views created by the studio Double Negative. The special effects share the previously mentioned subtleness, discarding the "space porn" from Star Trek or Guardians of the Galaxy in order to implement a more realistic vision, centered on the vision of the astronauts, where we see only what is necessary in order to understand what is happening without distracting us from the human drama which always leads the film. On the negative side of Interstellar, I will only mention three things: to start with, we have the occasionally forced sentimentality from the film, which feels a bit out of place inside the fascinating story; I also felt the late introduction of an unnecessary villain a bit out of place; and finally, I disliked the lacking of "science" in this excellent science fiction film. On the one hand, I understand the fact that Interstellar decided not to spend time with every single "realistic" detail of space travel, but on the other hand, some big licenses are too notorious (for example, the gravitational equation and its relationship with a space phenomenon). Nevertheless, those complaints didn't avoid Interstellar from being a memorable, fascinating and hugely satisfactory experience. So, I don't know whether Interstellar is truly a landmark which will re-define cinematographic science fiction for the following decades, but it's definitely one of the best films I have seen this year, and another example of Nolan's maturity and talent as a filmmaker. I like the science fiction with the emphasis on science, but sometimes, the emotions are more appropriate to tell stories about humanity and hope.