Monday, April 20, 2015

Short Attention Span Review: Interstellar (2014)

Surprise, surprise--Christopher Nolan has delivered another stirring picture!  Seriously, Nolan producing something mesmerizing is almost old hat at this point.  Interstellar is only his latest riveting motion picture experience, and while it doesn't represent his best work, it's still one hell of a film.  Thoughtful, emotional, bold, exciting, and challenging, this sci-fi epic is a fine example of the power that high-caliber cinema can yield.  Nolan has always placed incredible talents front and center in his work and that makes this a bold statement, but for once I believe that the greatest strength of this movie was not the gifted director who I'm praising but the star I'm about to start praising.  Mathew McConaughey is on some kind of a roll right now, and while this isn't his best work either, the charm and grace he brings to Interstellar is a fantastic treat to behold.  The best thing about McConaughey is his ability to convey so much and get an audience so invested in such a natural manner.  Many thespians go to elaborate lengths to generate a response, but McConaughey reminds me a bit of the legendary Henry Fonda in that he can dominate the screen with such ease that it seems downright effortless.  There's a feeling that such a performer could walk in a room, pick up a script, read a line once, and then deliver it with remarkable authenticity.  It seems like child's play.  Regardless of how nonchalant his approach may appear to be, McConaughey's work here is impeccable and his performance is nothing short of captivating.  He is joined by wonderful performers like Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine, as well one major surprise, and the acting is top-notch across the board.  The plot is complex yet entertaining, and like many of Nolan's films the less you know going in the better.  The effects are fabulous and the science is very convincing--though I would be one of the last people to know if they were totally defying the laws of physics and such.  The score is superb, which is what we've come to expect from Hans Zimmer, particularly when he works with Nolan.  In closing, Interstellar covers a lot of ground that previous science fiction films regarding space travel have covered, but it never feels like an imitation.  It's fresh, surprisingly sentimental, and very rewarding.

Final Grade: A
Once again, Nolan delivers an emotionally charged mindbender.

2 comments:

  1. Yeah man - loved it. It also made me look up quantum mechanics and TOE (theory of everything), then back into black holes and singularity events / relativity.

    HEAVY SHIT MAN. SO things I know now. Its about 0% possible for anyone to survive going into a black hole - as you would be turned into sting cheese (literally). Now as to what is real vs god -- that kinda stuff, well it can be anything. Good story - another kinds time loop event. Whatever happened was going to happen because it already happened. Freaky stuff. I was pretty much able to through some reading find that time travel forward is quite possible. -- ITs the going back that does not seem to fit. Anyway - despite all this cray, the movie was moving and I enjoyed it. It did make me think .

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  2. It was awesome. I still think Inception is Nolan's best work, but Interstellar was a stellar (forgive me) experience. I might have enjoyed it more than his Batman films--which I greatly enjoy. He's a wonderful director and McConaughey is just killing it these days.

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