Interstellar – a film by Christopher Nolan

Interstellar – a film by Christopher Nolan

Set in a futuristic dustbowl, reminiscent of depression era The Grapes of Wrath, Christopher Nolan, of The Dark Knight Trilogy, serves up a gargantuan of a film (literally as it spans three hours) to depict Matthew McConaughey leading a space mission, in the hope of saving the world. At times, the storyline appears far-fetched but this is a truly amazing spectacle which is best viewed on as large a screen as possible – preferably an IMAX – to experience Interstellar’s all encompassing presence which includes black holes and wave swells.

The film has come up for some harsh criticism, mostly for its one-dimensional script and shallow acting. Anne Hathaway, playing a scientist and McConaughey’s space companion, may deliver an unmemorable performance but at least it’s not in the “best to forget” category of Matt Damon’s role as space villain. Luckily, on  the acting stakes, McConaughey and Jessica Chastain, playing his grown up daughter, dominate and are, most importantly, believable. Even if parts of the dialogue are lack-lustre, at least there were enough good lines to give to McConaughey so that, when the audience is not being wowed by the special effects, they can swoon to the oscar winner’s Texan drawl.

While Interstellar may not develop the timelessness of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey – perhaps the greatest science fiction film ever made back in 1968 – there are some interesting parallels between the two films regarding man’s quest for space travel. Where do all the theories lead? Or, as suggested by the end of 2001, where is there left to go? On a more practical level, Interstellar’s star robot, TARS, is more than a nod to Kubrick’s creation of HAL (a clever play on Big Blue going back in the alphabet for each letter….IBM) as both machines exhibit human qualities, even if they are on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum. However, unlike 2001, the human story plays a large part in Nolan’s work as the heart rendering father/daughter saga, played out by McConaughey and Chastain, had the audience emotionally charged. Further aspects of the human story are provided by Anne Hathaway’s screen father, Michael Caine, who intermittently recites Dylan Thomas’s moving poem: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” which serves as a metaphor for not dying/giving up because in space terms there’s more out there to explore. Interstellar certainly provides a lot of the more as a multi layered galactic voyage of time travel.