With an all-star cast including recent Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club, A Time To Kill) and Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises, Les Miserables), Nolan and his brother Johnathan have written a story that enthrals and excites, but also baffles and bewilders. The storyline is complex and riddled with twists, but it is delivered in a way that come the final conclusion. Everything intertwines and leaves you with a sense of wonder. The film's script writing was supervised by Kip Thorne, a theoretical physicist, to ensure that all of the scientific inputs in the film were accurate.
We start on Earth, dusty, baron and plagued with blight, an infectious disease which leaves crops and vegetation ill in its wake. Coop (McConaughey) lives on a farm with his two children and his father-in law. Coop, an ex-NASA pilot and single father, is doing his bit to get through the hard times by fixing farming machinery. McConaughey is brilliant, although his dialogue is at times inaudible due to the low-pitched drone which slips into during more intimate scenes.
His daughter Murphy (Mackenzie Fox, and later Jessica Chastain) is having a tough time sleeping as she is convinced she is being haunted by a ghost; books are being knocked off her shelf and objects are being broken. Fuelled by her father’s lack of belief in the supernatural world, Murphy sets out to investigate the strange goings-on and compiles evidence to reinforce her case. Slightly marvelled by his daughter's will and determination Coop aids Murphy with her puzzle, and together they stumble across markings on Murphy's bedroom floor, highlighted by a sandstorm which invades their home.
They put the pieces together and unscramble the markings to reveal coordinates. This leads them to a restricted airbase, unaware of their unintended trespassing, they're apprehended and taken inside to be interrogated, only for Coop to be reunited with his former NASA boss, Dr. Brand (Michael Caine). The two, along with an entourage of NASA associates, discuss current affairs and Coop soon learns that Earth is in greater danger than previously imagined…extinction. Brand explains, "We're not meant to save the world, we're meant to leave it". A wormhole near one of Saturn's moons is discovered, opening a doorway into undiscovered space and contains what could be a number of inhabitable planets, and humanities next home.
Interstellar has the capacity to confuse an audience, but does its best to explain itself throughout. The stretching of time becomes the key twist. A fantastic yet terrifying scene sees Coop return to his craft after a couple of hours only to find that over 20 years have passed. For Coop, it means deciding on whether to see his kids again or save the entirety of the human race.
Nolan has excelled with Interstellar, it is simply beautiful. He achieves outstanding levels of world creation and stunning special effects using his technical genius and fully utilising the technology at his disposal. A sensational score from Hans Zimmer only reinforce my previous statement, this film should be seen on the big screen. Viewers would only be robbing themselves of a crucial element of Interstellar if they choose to watch it on any other format.
Despite some logical breaks in the story which could leave viewers divisive, Interstellar is an emotional and epic blockbuster which must not be missed. Another hit which the ever impressive Nolan can add to his list.
