A Non-Spoiler Review of Interstellar

From one of the most respected directors of the 21rst century came one of the most anticipated movies of the year, Interstellar. Christopher Nolan’s first dive into the science fiction genre is epic, beautiful, and filled to the brim with some of the greatest performances of the year. The cast is unbelievable, all triple A, Oscar-winning actors giving incomparable performances over the length of a nearly three-hour long film. This film will stand among The Dark Knight and Inception as Christopher Nolan’s best.

The special effects in the film are nothing short of a miracle. These are unparalleled to anything else on the big screen. In a story filled with black holes, wormholes, and time travel, (things scientists hardly know anything about), Interstellar does a perfect job of finding a line between believable and unbelievable. The effects tend to look slightly overdone, and yet absolutely perfect at the same time because of how little we know about what the imagery would look like in real life. This organic sense of cohesion creates a viewing experience in terms of special effects which is perfect.

Most of the characters in the film are gritty and depressed. Though the film still provides unexpected comic relief at times, the moods and environments are meant to be depressing. This allows the actors to really shine in a way they couldn’t have if the film had a similar mood to say the Batman movies for example. This is simply because of the lack of classic action. The acting is the highlight of this film, even better than the special effects. With a cast including Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, and Casey Affleck, the movie is a masterstroke of acting in general. Even the most unlikable characters in the film are beloved by the audience because of just how well they are portrayed. This is a rare occurrence in science fiction movies, making Interstellar one of a kind.

The plot of the film holds the most complaints. Whenever movies use themes such as space travel and time travel, holes in the plot become a huge problem. Interstellar is unfortunately no exception, and while every second of the movie is beautiful, it doesn’t always make complete sense. However, Interstellar contains several plot twists that push unbelievably difficult decisions onto the main characters. These decisions are always handled with intelligence and passion making these characters more likable than if they simply followed orders instead.

Interstellar’s themes seemed to be shoved down the audience’s throats as the characters are still on earth, and then become slightly more subtle. Although the themes aren’t very original, they’re portrayed beautifully and intelligently all throughout the film. This film draws many parallels to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey. And though that film was also filled with plot holes and confusing events, its themes of loneliness in space were much more compelling than Interstellar’s themes to me. In fact, 2001 A Space Odyssey still is a better movie than Interstellar in my opinion. It’s cheap effects make it less of a visual film, and makes the audience turn to the actual story more important than Interstellar’s.

Whether or not you should go see Interstellar depends entirely upon the type of movie watcher you are. This film will blow your mind with its effects and characters, and yet was disappointing me with a lack of action which I was expecting from a Nolan film. On so many levels the film didn’t deliver. For one, I was almost certain that one of the areas which they visited would be more than just a wasteland. Though these barren areas help enforce the film’s themes, they are boring and don’t deliver on excitement. Many have taken to calling this film a sellout because of its lack of action and abundance of stress and depression. This is sad but true, this movie will most likely win at least five oscars and make an unfathomable amount of money. However it is without a doubt worth the watch if only because of the beauty in the visuals, directing, and characters.