Posted: 11/08/2014
Ladies and gentlemen. It is my opinion, in every fiber of my being, that I have just witnessed not just the best film of this century thus far, but one of the best to have hit the eyes, imaginations, and consciousness of audiences worldwide.
My thoughts are all over the place. That is what this film does. It has hit me on so many levels. But I’ll do my best to try.
This will be a spoiler free review.
Interstellar is an an important film. On so many levels.
It’s important for the film industry, to start on the bottom of the scale. It’s important to the film industry because Christopher Nolan, once again (but ten times beyond his Inception), has proven that original, high concept films can succeed. They can be important. They can transcend franchise tentpole event movies. They can entertain and inspire. They can give us amazing acting, amazing storytelling, amazing concepts, without having to simply bombard us with explosions, special effects, and humor. Damnit Hollywood! Wake up. The audiences showed up for Inception. They showed up for Gravity. And they will surely show up for Interstellar. I’ve always said that studios were not to blame because they give audiences what audiences want and pay for. Well, watch the numbers for Interstellar because they are sure to be paying in droves.
It’s important for the human race. We have stalled in our need for exploration. It stalled years ago after we landed on the moon. It stalled even moreso when the government retired the space shuttles. Now we look to gadgets and Earth bound technology with wonder, awe, and excitement. This film brings that wonder back. It shows us once again why we looked to the stars with wonder those many years ago. It proves once again that the possibilities are endless and what we know is insignificant to what we don’t know.
We think in terms of money. We think in terms of risk. But we have failed to remember those words of President Kennedy those many years ago:
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
Interstellar opens up those possibilities, that wonder, in so many ways. It showcases that exploration to the moon, to the planets, and to the stars beyond… is important. At least that is what my heart hopes.
It’s important for the human spirit. This film moved me as a father. As a son. As a human being. As someone who is curious about the possibilities out there. About what we don’t yet know about this world we live in and what lies beyond as I look up into the star-filled night sky. About God or a higher being. About science. About how the two may or may not be related (something I brought to it… that’s not a spoiler for the film AT ALL). About dimensions. About consciousness. About the unseen and untold. This film moved me in all of those respects and more.
The acting is amazing. Matthew McConaughey is a revelation once again. Anne Hathaway? Stop the hate because she’s a brilliant actress.
And the cast that pops up throughout this amazing film is exciting and surprising. Don’t explore online AT ALL. Just go see the film.
The special effects are groundbreaking, albeit not on the direct level of Gravity, but moreso how they are utilized.
The film score is breathtaking. BREATHTAKING.
The scripts is like no other in my opinion. It reaches BEYOND genre. You may find elements that could have been expanded or could have been deleted, but the brilliance of it is… it doesn’t matter. You just roll with it.
The concepts, both science and science fiction (likely a mixture at times) are awe-inspiring.
I went to see the Thursday show tonight, which is when I see most new releases that I go to.
The first one was sold out. That NEVER happens for a non-franchise film. NEVER. In my experience at least. The second showing tonight was packed.
There have been few times in my life where I’ve felt such an energy BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER a screening. Surely during the Original Star Wars Trilogy in my early childhood. I remember Return of the Jedi the most. Surely for E.T. Surely for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Surely for Jurassic Park. Sadly, in retrospect, for the first Star Wars prequel.
But with Interstellar, I’ve finally had that feeling again. It was like being at a Steven Spielberg movie in the early 80s again, with the aftermath being even more powerful.
Hype is a scary thing for me (especially after the terrible Star Wars prequels and fourth Indiana Jones film). I dread it. I try my best to deny it. Hype clouds reason (I saw Episode I eight times in the theater). Hype clouds judgment (Sorry Gone Girl, you sucked).
So with the hype of Interstellar, I shut it down. I was ready to accept a pretty good science fiction tale. At best. With each trailer, the hype was less and less for me. My internal survival skills kicking in.
Until each moment of the film unraveled before my eyes. I was stunned. I’m still stunned. My hands were shaking. Tears in my eyes at times. My love for the cinema rejuvenated. My love for storytelling enhanced. A big smile on my face. Just watching and waiting for those typical run-of-the-mill moments that I thought were sure the come in a studio event film, only to be surprised time and time again.
Interstellar currently has a 72% Rotten Tomatoes. A great rating to be sure, but ladies and gents, ignore it. There is the reality that this film will get some mixed reviews, but know that 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film that is now considered one of the best ever made, received VERY mixed reviews in its first run. These two films mirror each other in that respect but know that beyond the space exploration concepts and mind-bending provocations, they are two very different films that explore very different concepts.
I don’t care though. I don’t care what anyone else says because this film gave me multiple gifts. Ones that I won’t even share with you here beyond what I’ve already shared above.
See this film. See the s*** out of it. Release yourself, any hype, any prepared cynicism, etc. And just embed yourself in those characters and concepts. Into those worlds. Be the explorer. Let this film do what it does best. Let it make you think and both looks to the stars, but also within, in a very different manner.
