Interstellar - Part 8

[jmc]

Normally I'd go into depth with a film like this in regards to it's acting, story, character journey's, etc, but this is going to be an exception to that rule, and I'm honestly not going to give this film a rating either because ultimately after thinking about it on the drive home I've come to the conclusion that this isn't a film that you can really give a rating to, it's more about a personal feeling towards the movie.

A few things of note, it's has all of Nolan's trademarks and weaknesses, they are as obvious as the nose on your face so no point going into them, and the acting is fine all around so no point going into that either. I think what's striking about this film to me is I'm not sure how I feel about it, I know I enjoyed it, but it definitely short of greatness, and yet saying that doesn't feel like a negative.

The only way I can really describe this film is that it's an experience, one that isn't going to be for everyone. This film lies somewhere between sci-fi adventure and science documentary, and from that perspective I can see why this may be a turn off for people because there's a lot to take in. I don't think it's pretentious to say this but I do think there may be too much science in this film for people to fully appreciate, I'm a bit of a astronomy nerd myself and even I was struggling at times to wrap my head around some of the concepts. In that sense Nolan kinda did suck the 'fun' out of this film, but had he made it a bit more science friendly I think the film would have been a bit too generic. The big thing I take away from this film is that there's really nothing like this out there, it's not the greatest thing ever, it's also not a bad movie in the slightest, like the universe and all the laws that govern it it just 'is', it's existence meaning something slightly different to everyone one living within in, and maybe that was his intention all along.

 

[Faora]

I have just seen Annestellar.

I really liked it. I think 8/10 at the moment.

I am going to go out and get a bite to eat, but when I return there will be more in depth comment.

Great.t:

 

[CapedCrusader14]

Well I'm just going to come right out and say it.

This is my favourite film so far this year and I did not expect that at all. One of the most memorable experiences I've ever had in a cinema, and my 3rd favourite non-Batman Nolan film.

Also give me the damn OST now.

jmc were you at the 3:00pm Sydney IMAX screening by any chance?

 

[craigdbfan]

I'm fully convinced Nolan didn't intend for this to be entertaining/fun in the traditional sense (even though I find this movie to be fascinating). This was a science/philosophy lesson wrapped in a love poem. That's not the definition of a blockbuster.

That's why guys like PTA are loving it. It took me aback at what Nolan decided to do with this film but as I let it gestate the more I can recognize that this movie wasn't made for fun and that's fine because I feel the number of messages he's trying to convey demand a certain amount of seriousness. Mortality, inevitability, love, etc.

 

[jmc]

Well I'm just going to come right out and say it.

This is my favourite film so far this year and I did not expect that at all. One of the most memorable experiences I've ever had in a cinema, and my 3rd favourite non-Batman Nolan film.

Also give me the damn OST now.

jmc were you at the 3:00pm Sydney IMAX screening by any chance?

3:00pm across town in Blacktown actually.

 

[TyrionLannister]

Well I'm just going to come right out and say it.

This is my favourite film so far this year and I did not expect that at all. One of the most memorable experiences I've ever had in a cinema, and my 3rd favourite non-Batman Nolan film.

Also give me the damn OST now.

jmc were you at the 3:00pm Sydney IMAX screening by any chance?

How was the Darling Harbour IMAX? I've heard that it is too big. I'm considering seeing it there for a second viewing. Worth it?

 

[SuperJediHero]

Fifth Dimension - more Sci-fis needed to explore this.

 

[jmc]

Higher dimensions are a hard concept to wrap your head around so I'm not surprised it hasn't been explored that much.

 

[Kansiov]

... I have to agree here, despite the movie's flaws, it has been thoroughly engaging and thought-provoking throughout.

Spoiler

To clarify: Despite my problems with that monologue, I really liked the "love" theme in the movie. It was particularly interesting- especially, with the ending where it's revealed that Amelia decision to go "with her heart" was the right one. Easily one of my favorite scenes in the movie.

 

[jmc]

I'm fully convinced Nolan didn't intend for this to be entertaining/fun in the traditional sense (even though I find this movie to be fascinating). This was a science/philosophy lesson wrapped in a love poem. That's not the definition of a blockbuster.

That's why guys like PTA are loving it. It took me aback at what Nolan decided to do with this film but as I let it gestate the more I can recognize that this movie wasn't made for fun and that's fine because I feel the number of messages he's trying to convey demand a certain amount of seriousness. Mortality, inevitability, love, etc.

It's definitely blockbuster in name only. I don't even know what you'd really label this film to be honest.

 

[AnneFan]

Glad you liked it AnneFan, I'm going to see it tomorrow afternoon.

Great.t:

Anne-alysis of Amelia Brand:

This is a great performance. On paper it's a strong character who knows her stuff and is dedicated to the mission. But there's an underlying sense of vulnerability to Brand which I think is really to be commended. There's depth here, which you can see in her face and mannerisms. Particularly with the ending I wanted to give her a hug where she's all alone. I also loved how Anne added those little laughs in places, after something amazingly tense was performed. In summary, I really enjoyed her performance and believed she was an astronaut. Very well done.

As for the movie itself, I found the three hours went by rather quickly. On some early reactions I was half expecting it to be a long-winded rant of a film, bogged down with quantum psychics lectures and such. But I didn't really find that. I understood the movie just fine, and I appreciate how Nolan didn't underestimate our intelligence to go along with it.

The basis for the film is strong, particularly with the emphasis on family. And particularly how we get a good amount of screen time with them early on. When Cooper left to go on the mission, I was legitimately teary eyed. I think they did that very well indeed. Also with the massive jumps in time, and the subsequent video messages. That was poignant and an attack on the heart.

A component of the film which I really liked was with Mann. I didn't really see that twist coming, and it blurred the lines between villain and hero. It's all about perspective. There were moments in this movie where I felt pretty tense. The thought of experiencing these moments as a fellow human being.

The resolution to the mysteries presented throughout the film, namely the bookcase, was cleverly done. I tip my hat to Nolan there. It was rather straightforwardly explained even though the exact nature of 'how', (there are some things which we are not meant to understand, as said in the film), was not.

TARS was a brilliant creation. I really enjoyed this part of the film, and the honesty percentage running gag. Props to the team responsible for bringing this character to life.

In all, I had a good time with Interstellar. I appreciate what it attempts, and for the most part it succeeds. It has a human heart beating at the centre, and even though Earth is trillions of miles away, it is ever present in our character's hearts.

Well done, Mr Nolan.

 

[CapedCrusader14]

3:00pm across town in Blacktown actually.

Ahh okay I saw that you said you were going into the film at 3:00pm and thought by some crazy coincidence we were at the same screening

How was the Darling Harbour IMAX? I've heard that it is too big. I'm considering seeing it there for a second viewing. Worth it?

I would consider it definitely worth it, it's a huge sensory overload in a lot of ways, EXTREMELY huge. I've never seen anything like it that's for sure. Give it a go, I've been to it 4 years in a row now and have a memorable experience everytime

On a side note, I almost didn't even get to see the film today. Traffic was terrible going to the session I initially was going to so didn't even make it to that one. Was so glad to see it in the end, the more I think about the film, the more I love it and the more it means to me.

This is a pretty special film if you ask me.

 

[AnneFan]

I agree that the score was too loud in places, particularly over dialogue scenes. I think most noticeably at the start, driving through the cornfield. And while it doesn't reach the heights of Inception, at least yet anyway, I still like what Zimmer did here.

 

[CapedCrusader14]

I must be lucky because our cinema had no sound problems whatsoever, I could hear the dialogue perfectly (even if I did notice that it was louder than I expected).

Man the driving through the cornfield was magical for me and I don't even understand why.

EDIT: This is my ranking of Nolan's films currently.

1. The Dark Knight
2. Batman Begins
3. The Prestige
4. Memento
5. Interstellar
6. Inception
7. The Dark Knight Rises
8. Insomnia
9. Following

 

[BigCityBoy]

For anyone who has seen "Interstellar" in a IMAX Digital theater, does the scenes that were shot in IMAX look about as incredible as the IMAX scenes in "Transformers: AOE" or better?

 

[TyrionLannister]

I would consider it definitely worth it, it's a huge sensory overload in a lot of ways, EXTREMELY huge. I've never seen anything like it that's for sure. Give it a go, I've been to it 4 years in a row now and have a memorable experience everytime

Thanks. It's just the last time I went to the IMAX in Darling Harbour was when I saw Pacific Rim and I remember having to physically turn my head to read the location titles in the corner every so often. And before that I saw The Dark Knight Rises which was amazing during the IMAX sequences but I didn't have the greatest seats.

So if I do see it there I will wait until I can get a seat directly in the middle up the back, I think.

 

[CapedCrusader14]

Thanks. It's just the last time I went to the IMAX in Darling Harbour was when I saw Pacific Rim and I remember having to physically turn my head to read the location titles in the corner every so often. And before that I saw The Dark Knight Rises which was amazing during the IMAX sequences but I didn't have the greatest seats.

So if I do see it there I will wait until I can get a seat directly in the middle up the back, I think.

Ahh yeah, that cinema does rely on a necessity of having decent seats I suppose. The last 3 years I've had perfect seats so my experience has always been great. Today however, due to the traffic problems, I ended up with seats on the side but it still felt perfectly fine besides an occasional stiffness in my neck. But besides that, everything else is wonderful there.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

My ranking of nolan movies

1. The Dark Knight
2. Memento
3. Batman Begins
4. Inception
5. Interstellar
6. The Prestige
7. Insomnia
8. The Dark Knight Rises
9. Following

I think if anything, I'd give this a 8/10 at this moment. This is definitely a movie that needs to be seen again and there will probably end up being a s**tload of theories for this movie. It feels like a very ambitious movie in which it's emotion was in the right place. Visually, it's a awesome, and I love the landscape shots, along with the shots of them in space.

My problem with the movie is the science, or the meshing of science and pseudo science. I'm not sure if it worked or not, but I feel like the movie did weight itself down with it. My issue with the movie is that I hope it not did weight itself down with compete psuedo scienece and used actual theories, or else it would have felt wasted. I feel more comfortable knowing that they based parts of the movie off Thorne's theories, though I feel like parts of the movie were out of my grasp and hard to follow.

This movie needs another viewing for everything to make sense, but I think for the most part I enjoyed the ambition of the movie, both through its plot and through it's science and the connection between Cooper and his daughter being the driving force of the movie.

 

[Oneironaut]

It's funny how the robots looked like piece of junk and then they started spinning around and ****.

 

[Micromind]

Lesson to be learnt from Interstellar - Always take a few Robots with you on long voyages. t:

 

[MMB]

My reaction after watching this movie:

I think this is a movie that will just grow and grow on you as you learn more about the science behind everything and start realizing that this might be a very special movie, first movie to depict a black hole as it would appear in real life, possibly the first movie to depict

Spoiler

"time travel"

in a scientifically correct and possible way, etc.

I just want to applaud Nolan for doing this even if it means cutting down on the entertainment value, and ofc a huge risk in so many ways.

Right now I don't even know how to rate this movie, I'm gonna have to let it sink in and try to understand as much of it as possible first. Will probably have to watch it again.

 

[AnneFan]

Lesson to be learnt from Interstellar - Always take a few Robots with you on long voyages. t:

They were fantastic.

Spoiler

Anne being carried away by the robot as the tsunami approached. Way to go, buddy!

 

[titansupes]

On the robots, I thought for sure -

Spoiler

CASE was going to be the HAL 2000 of the group. When TARS activated him on the Endurance and he was so quite comparatively ("TARS talks enough for the both of us" ) and when he was left on the ship and received Murph's message/accusation. It was nice they avoided the bad robot trope.

 

[MadVillainy]

On the robots, I thought for sure -

Spoiler

CASE was going to be the HAL 2000 of the group. When TARS activated him on the Endurance and he was so quite comparatively ("TARS talks enough for the both of us" ) and when he was left on the ship and received Murph's message/accusation. It was nice they avoided the bad robot trope.

I thought the same thing

 

[RichardMoore]

Spoiler

I heard that the F-bomb is dropped your standard one time per PG-13 flick in this movie. Anyone recall when?