Alright, Alright, Alright…
So Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan’s new film Interstellar came out this week. Besides killing it at the box office which was a forgone conclusion, it actually delivered on the quality expected as a follow up not to Batman, but the followup to Inception.
The movie revolves around the Cooper family. With Matthew McConaughey playing the patriarch on an Iowa farm attempting to raise his family and corn to despite the looming effects of an unnamed global decline that has lead to a massive depletion in crops and population. This would be the one point where I would criticize Nolan. If you want to make a statement about world food supply and global warming… Do it! It’s thinly veiled, but still an obvious choice was made on the side of safety. Which I did not expect from this film maker, and his current untouchable status in Hollywood. Back to the point his family is portrayed by a set of actors for both their childhood and adult phases.
I won’t speak anymore about how that’s possible but the fact that time is a variable that effects the cast differently is a huge and rewarding part of the film.
Brass Tacks
As I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone, the movie sees McConaughey accept a mission to find a suitable planet for the human race to migrate to. Apparently whatever has happened in the past has left Earth pretty much F.U.B.A.R. This is where Anne Hatheway and Michael Caine come in. Although under used both serve their roles well and provide the constant reminder of how important the mission is. The physics and concepts at play in the plot need these two characters as well as others to explain to the audience what the hell is going on. They did a good job, because despite the fact that I knew this was the ultimate purpose of many of the characters, it didn’t feel too forced or unnecessary.
McConaughey carries this movie and aside from the walking and joking rectangles, is the most enjoyable and solid part of the film. My one complaint and it’s not really a complaint but a concern, Matt Damon pops up about 2/3 of the way through. I like him as an actor, he did a great job, but my instant reaction was not “oh shit they just awoke Dr. Mann”, it was me saying to my wife “MATT DAMONN” So it kind of felt like this.
In a nut shell the acting wasn’t quite as good as Inception, the plot was for some reason I’ve yet to define was less coherent; however, there was never a moment that I was not engaged in the film and what was going on. Both story lines both in space and on earth were given the proper balance, and neither suffered from the lack of overlap from the other. It was certainly one of the more entertaining films out this year, and if you want a mind explode moment, Interstellar’s got it.
4/5
+Great pace
+Great story
+Keeps you engaged
-MAAAT DAAAMON (but not because he isn’t really good in it) It’s kind of the Jack Nicholson effect at this point.
Nice post! Saw this yesterday and am still thinking about it. I really liked it. More than I expected I would. I had the same reaction to Matt Damon but he did great. It was like watching Saving Private Ryan where it was like: who is the next cameo?(hey, also a Damon movie!) Not a complaint! Great spoiler free review!