It’s been said that “Interstellar is like Inception, but in space.”
Is that supposed to be a good thing?
No. Just no.
End.
Update: Since a popular question seems to be exactly why this movie sucks, we’ve decided to give you an exact breakdown.
[divider]Plot[/divider]
Of the many, many problems that Interstellar carries, its most fundamental problem lies in the basis that the movie is selling.
Unfortunately, to reveal that, would be to reveal the ending of the movie, so I will leave it to simply saying that it ends with far too simple a message that comes across feeling rather sappy and preachy (and this mutates it into being rather heavy-handed) to warrant a longer than 2.5 hour movie.
That being said, there is nothing wrong with the science of the movie. Is it scientifically accurate? I don’t know and I don’t care. It’s a movie, not a documentary. I like it when explosions happen in space fight sequences even though it’s impossible, so I’m certainly not gonna nitpick the scientific accuracy of a sci-fi movie.
[divider]Script[/divider]
This is where the weakness of the movie is most blatant.
Not only are the characters written with the least bit of life, they mostly feel like they are just there to fill the space of the widescreen. Anne Hathaway gets the shove for the second time since her stint as the wonderfully shallow Catwoman, and Michael Caine continues in what is now his fifth outing as the cliché spouting Alfred Pennyworth.
While I have no issues with the Nolans choosing to work with the same actors (I actually like it when directors choose to do that, hence my initial excitement for the casting of both Inception and The Dark Knight Rises), the brothers may want to start considering a different cast for their movies if they feel like the can’t write the same actor in two different ways.
And let’s not get started on the absurdity of the questions asked by Joseph Cooper, the protagonist of the film. I understand that exposition is required for us simple folk in the audience, but turning your veteran astronaut/rocket pilot into an idiot is never a good idea.
[divider]Acting[/divider]
More specifically, Matthew McConaughey’s acting because he was the only one who really had anything to do.
As mentioned previously, a majority of the cast were treated less like legit characters and more like scene fillers. It’s at times like this, where the simplistic beauty of movies like Gravity is to be appreciated.
Also, given the absurdity of the script, I feel that any and all credit regarding Cooper’s character can be solely attributed to McConaughey’s natural charisma.
[divider]Direction[/divider]
Christopher Nolan is a man of vision. As a fan of everything from The Following to Batman Begins to The Prestige, it pains me to say that the man has long sacrificed substance for style. While I would have thought that Inception might be as bad as it could get, Interstellar takes it to astronomical levels (pun intended).
However, if ever Discovery Channel plans on shooting a documentary on the wonders of space for IMAX distribution, Nolan’s their man. #justsaying.
[divider]Effects[/divider]
Remember how I said it was all style over substance? Well, at least they do style well.
The graphics are nothing short of beautiful and the representation of space with all of its cosmic aspects are near hypnotic. The depiction of planes explored are extremely intriguing and the visual landscape is incredibly engaging.
Seriously, Discovery needs to give these guys a call. The whole flick was a Morgan Freeman narration away from being (one of) the best documentaries on interstellar exploration.
Unfortunately, it sucked as a movie.