Matthew McConaughey
Anne Hathaway
Jessica Chastain
Bill Irwin
Ellen Burstyn
Michael Caine

Jonathan Nolan
Christopher Nolan

169 mins.
Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
November 7, 2014

Rated PG-13 for some intense perilous action and brief strong language. (MPAA)

“Interstellar” is a flawed film that works on a thematic level. While it provides a few jolts and a few scenes of visual beauty, this film will leave many moviegoers unsatisfied. Christopher Nolan has built his reputation on creating film worlds that are intricate, yet clear. He’s a master architect in that realm. “Interstellar” doesn’t fit into that category. This is a film that’s more about ideas than it is about clarity of vision.

One of this film’s main themes is humanity’s balance between introversion (staying within) and extroversion (exploring without) on a cosmic scale. The question is: Is it worthwhile to explore when resources are so scarce? Would it be better to conserve current resources instead of searching for a new source of resources that may not exist? Throughout mankind’s history, the balance between extroversion and introversion has made the difference between life and death. So this is all about survival. This goes to the core of who we are.

The interplay between the two comprises much of the first hour of the film. During that hour, we are introduced to Coop, a reluctant farmer and former NASA test-pilot and engineer played by Matthew McConaughey. He is the embodiment of the desire to explore. The current world around him is the embodiment of a much more introverted sensibility due to the consistent loss of resources, especially in regards to food. As a result of frequent dust storms, there’s dust everywhere. Also, there’s significant and irrevocable crop losses as a result of blight. At the beginning of the film, there are interviews with people who discuss what these conditions were like at the time. Those interviews look like something from a documentary. I liked that touch. One of those people is played by Ellen Burstyn, so I had an idea of what her role would be later on in the film. But that’s largely because no one would hire Burstyn to play an insignificant role.

Another main theme deals with the strength of one’s core values as they’re tested in new contexts. This theme is explored throughout the film. On Earth, this film is anchored in Americana (corn fields, etc.); think M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs” or Phil Alden Robinson’s “Field of Dreams.” Nolan has presented the familiar with a deeply American sensibility. The link between the familiar (e.g. love as a driving force and the sacrifices that come with it) and the unfamiliar (i.e. outer space) is the anchor of this film.

The central relationship is between Coop and the daughter he leaves behind on Earth. There’s another relationship between a different father and daughter, as well. Actually, the relationships are old-hat. But that’s the point: Those relationships are purposely familiar. I think that Nolan wanted to tap into iconic relationships à la Steven Spielberg. Nolan doesn’t fully succeed on that front, but I respect the attempt. The question is: What happens to our core identity when it is tested by impending destruction and the unknown? Do the connections we make with others transcend time and space? Nolan parallels the events on Earth with the events in space, yielding mixed results. But it still works for me, even with the explicit allusions to love as the only transcendent force we know. I get it.

Throughout the 169-minute run-time, I thought of many other films in addition to “Signs” and “Field of Dreams.” I thought of “Contact,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “The Abyss,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “Gravity.” Unfortunately, this film was released just over one year after the theatrical release of “Gravity.” So comparisons are bound to happen. But “Interstellar” isn’t “Gravity.” It doesn’t try to be.

Visually, this film does a good job, especially when it provides a panoramic view of space and when the astronauts visit other planets. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s effective. In addition, I enjoyed this film’s depiction of a wormhole and of a black hole. Many may find fault with the science (if they can understand it), but this is fiction. It doesn’t bother me.

Another thing that stands out is the shifts between silence and sound. At times, the theater vibrated as a result of the sonic blasts coming through the speakers; my lips were shaking at one point toward the end. At other times, the silence of space took over. I enjoyed that interplay. However, the score and other sonic elements drowns out the actors’ dialogue many times. The actors mumble quite a bit, so that’s distracting.

Despite that, the actors do a good job overall. They invested emotionally in this film, and McConaughey leads the cast with an honesty that has become a hallmark of his work in recent years. The use of Matt Damon, in a pivotal role, was a wise casting choice, as well.

So, overall, I enjoyed this film. I didn’t look at my watch once during its lengthy run-time, and I was moved by the end. However, I know that Nolan could have done better. This is a film that I appreciate for its ideas regardless of its execution.

Verdict: Very Good, Yet Notably Flawed

About: (Source: facebook.com/Interstellarmovie)

In the near future, Earth has been devastated by drought and famine, causing a scarcity in food and extreme changes in climate. When humanity is facing extinction, a mysterious rip in the space-time continuum is discovered, giving mankind the opportunity to widen its lifespan. A group of explorers must travel beyond our solar system in search of a planet that can sustain life. The crew of the Endurance are required to think bigger and go further than any human in history as they embark on an interstellar voyage into the unknown. Coop, the pilot of the Endurance, must decide between seeing his children again and the future of the human race.