Good evening (or, as usual, the appropriate time of day for where you are!) readers! As I have come off an amazing trip to the land of Hollywood in L.A., SoCal, I of course had to make the trip TOTALLY complete upon my return this past Sunday to Ohio and go catch one of the most anticipated major film releases of the late Fall season. So despite being a tad tired from the flight, it was off to dinner and then to the XTreme Screen at Rave/Cinemark Polaris in Columbus, OH to catch…..”Interstellar”.
SEE THE TRAILERS HERE
Directed by one of the arguably most prolific and original filmmakers of the current era, Christopher Nolan, the film takes us to a near future Earth where once things grew plentifully and humanity thrived. Now suffering in the throes of a blight that has turned much of the inhabitable land into a dusty, sandy wasteland with only a few pockets of real crops to feed people, we find a man, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and his family: young daughter Murph (MacKenzie Foy), slightly older teenaged son Tom (Timothee Chalamet) and Cooper’s father, Donald (John Lithgow). They all live in the middle of the American West, in an old family farmhouse, and eking out an existence while trying to protect everything they have from the ravages of a planet gone dry. A former test pilot in better days, Cooper, we find, is a dreamer, along with Murph as well, and they both show a keen interest in the sciences, though Murph’s ideas taught to her by her father tend to rub the status quo wrong, as history has been somewhat “revised” by the current educational system. While we follow some adventures Cooper and his two children have, and also discussions about the future and dreams that Cooper has with Donald, a freak occurrence, discovered first by Murph then explored more by Cooper, reveals a hidden place in which the two ultimately meet (albeit somewhat ominously at first) fellow scientific minds Brand (Anne Hathaway), her father Professor Brand (Michael Caine), Doyle (Wes Bentley), and finally Romilly (David Gyasi) who open the pair’s eyes to the realities of what the future of Earth is and what steps they’ve been working on to send explorers out into the void of space via a wormhole phenomenon NASA found but has kept secret, to seek out a place that humanity can be transplanted to and continue its survival. At first skeptical but taken by the grand scheme, Cooper makes the choice to become one of these explorers, MUCH to the disdain and emotional pain of Murph, with both a mission to confirm a sustainable planet, but also to seek those that have gone before this crew. Cooper, Brand, Doyle, and Romilly set out on a mission of epic proportions that will not just test the physical limitations of the group, but will also take them to places where time itself is a completely different entity, fantastic sights await, and danger comes in unexpected forms. All the while, those left behind try to deal with not knowing what is happening while trying to also find THE answer that will save humanity. And that, folks, is actually all I can say. Even some of the other actors’ characters that appear would constitute minor to major spoilers, and as always, that will not be happening in this review.
Folks, this isn’t just Science Fiction….this is Christopher Nolan’s Science Fiction, and WOW, does he deliver. It needs to be understood this IS a true EPIC tale, spanning a whopping runtime of 2hrs 49min. And it ISN’T “Star Wars”. It ISN’T “Alien”. This is very much a straight sci-fi drama that invests in its characters, takes the time to develop its premise, secrets, and revelations, while still bringing some thrills and mind-bending realities to bear along the way. McConaughey and Hathaway perform admirably in this setting, and it is particularly nice to see Matthew taking on MUCH more diverse roles to compliment the rom-com persona I think a lot of people may have pigeon-holed him into (see the absolutely excellent role he plays in “Mud” as well). The two characters’ VAST undertaking with them mission they’re given is daunting in itself, much less adding on the events that occur while in the middle of it. And again, all I can say is that it is one cerebral ride, which is refreshing actually. To have to actually THINK a bit about what’s transpiring was quite a jolt, given the magnitude of information you process in taking in the intricacies of this story. To watch these characters in Hathaway and McConaughey, as well as the rest of the supporting cast (that DOES include the wonderfully intense Jessica Chastain, as well as Casey Affleck, and Topher Grace), each slowly reveal their own fears, humanity, and motivations to the actions they take was captivating for me. Visually, it is a feast on the optic senses on a HUGE XTreme Screen or IMAX, especially once the crew is IN space and witnessing the wonders encountered, as well as the dangers. And the superb Hans Zimmer-led music score just lends itself even more to this vision of a film adventure you see before you. Again, Nolan is a genius as far as I am concerned and yet again brought us to the edge of our seats, the boundaries of our minds, and allowed us to escape into a vastness that even in REAL life, we know SO little about as a whole. An incredible journey that I feel was well worth the wait and money spent. And if you can truly help it, DON’T let people tell you details, see it for yourself if the curiosity has got the best of you.
As always, this IS all for YOUR consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
Dude, that was a stellar (pun intended ;)) review! I think it is high time that I go and see this movie! Peace!