Interstellar provides ‘stellar’ effects

Director Christopher Nolan’s latest movie Interstellar is grandiose in its scale and ambition. Sporting high concept ideas in a straightforward story, it’s a modern marvel of cinema akin to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and filled with gripping suspense and emotional performances. It leaves an impact that will stay with the viewer after they exit the theater, and the film seems it’s here to stay with you for awhile..

Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a former NASA pilot/engineer turned farmer, taking care of his father-in-law, son, and extremely bright daughter named Murph (named after Murphy’s Law). The world itself is a resource-starved Earth in the near future, plagued with blight and dust storms, which develops humanity into an agrarian society. Things seem fine as usual until Murph finds a coded message in dust, which leads her and Cooper to a secret base holding what’s left of NASA. It is there that they learn NASA plans to send a rocket into space to fly through a wormhole near Saturn, in order to find a new home for humanity in a new galaxy. With the fate of humanity on their shoulders, Cooper joins planetary expert Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway), a snarky monolith-shaped robot named TARS (Bill Irwin) and the rest of the small crew to journey into the unknown, hoping to save mankind from extinction.

Interstellar is amazingly well done. The physical sets are very realistic, looking more grimy and natural than something from the far-off future, adding to the film’s grounded nature. The CGI is some of the best cinema has to offer, providing breathtaking shots of Saturn, a black hole, and the initial journey through the wormhole. It feels large and monumental, making it clear how small humanity is in the grand scheme of things.

The acting is stellar from the entire cast, especially McConaughey, who provides the more sentimental moments. There’s a scene where Cooper is watching videos of his family growing up and giving updates back home, and it’s very emotionally gripping. Yet, the character that steals the show is TARS, with his snarky attitude,and smart-aleck comments. It was surprising to see that type of character in such a drama-filled movie, and the character doesn’t feel out of place as he always pulls his weight and knows when not to joke around.

For all the great things spewed about this film, there’s a lot of elements to Interstellar that will leave some audience members confused to say the least. Not everyone will like this film, and that’s something that needs to be remembered if one wants to see the film. Many may not like the third act, as the story reaches a point where so much science factual information and plot points arrive, it becomes pretty confusing, as it involves the science of black holes, the relationship between time and gravity, touching time itself, and the fifth dimension. The ending fits the thematic theme of the film, but it may leave some people a bit disappointed in the resolution. And besides Cooper, Murph, and TARS, the rest of the cast seem don’t feel very memorable.

Yet, the movie is still a must-see. Interstellar brings in a wonder of the cosmos and the pursuit of exploring the unknown it wanted to achieve, and on such a large scale. While some characters don’t stand out and the last act is a make it or break it point, the problems are swept away under the rug when the movie first blasts off into space and travels through the wormhole on the big screen. It’s a movie that will stay around for a long time, and a must-see on the big screen.