Asteroid-Man
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I wrote this after the Tuesday premiere but haven't had time to post it. Here it is:
Link: http://thespeakingmute.tumblr.com/post/102200897708/reach-for-the-stars-a-review-of-interstellarReach for the stars! - A Review of “Interstellar” (2014)
As a child, my father used to pull aside the country roads late at night so that my sisters and I could line up outside, lean back and look up at the stars – the feeling instilled in us was a mix of insignificance in such a vast space, but also a sense of excitement for what lied beyond our reach. Interstellar made me feel that once more – what’s more, I felt like I was able to explore the beyond myself.
NOTE: Many obvious elements common to a review will be ignored in this article to avoid giving away spoilers – an example of this is the characters that each actor plays. As a result, a full list of principle roles will be given below.
When Christopher Nolan finished The Dark Knight trilogy, many, including myself, were eagerly awaiting his next flick. Nolan has gone on the record saying that George Lucas was one of his initial inspirations in filmmaking – and eventually Kubrick too (as he was on Lucas), so when Nolan announced that his next film would follow humanity’s attempt at interstellar travel, questions began swirling on whether or not he could meet these expectations.
In tone, his films are more in line with Kubrick’s than Lucas’s, so the obvious comparison being made is to 2001: A Space Odyssey, but for the sake of this review, let’s analyse the film on its own, independent of obvious influences and similarities in nuance.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I reflect on this film is the feeling it invokes in you; it really makes you feel like you’re in space. The juxtaposition of a very futuristic and sterile setting in the void of space against a receded and dusty Earth, suggests great contemplative themes about the reality of our current society. Beneath the surface layer of visual aesthetic, we have the relationships between the characters, and for the most part it’s focused on two pairs: the first being Cooper and his daughter Murph, as well as Cooper and Dr. Brand. It’s hard to delve too deep into the complexity of their relationships, particularly that of the father/daughter duo. The core of their relationship is that the father is forced into a position where he must sacrifice ever seeing his daughter again in order to guarantee the survival of humanity – this dilemma of self-sacrifice for the greater good navigates us across the stars and between galaxies as we contemplate how we might do if forced into a scenario like this. The weight of their relationship resonates from beginning to end and a lot of this is credited to the phenomenal acting of the entire cast in hand with Nolan’s masterful directing.
Now that being said, some of the dialogue can pull you out of these very human scenes, and moments of raw emotion. Chris and his brother Jonah, have a tendency to write very hyperbolic speeches throughout their films; while some find this style of writing to be very “on the nose” and unrealistic, I find it to be very poetic. Some films are about spectacle and an emotion, and I feel that’s what Nolan goes for above true realism. Good art should connect with audience emotion by entertaining and sending a message – Interstellar did just that.
The marriage between visuals and sound were beautiful! Whether it was the galactic vistas or the rumbling of the ship, I can’t stress enough how much this film made you feel as though you had actually left Earth! The filmmakers made a conscious decision to present sound to us in a unique way – I’ll stop there because it’s difficult to elaborate on this without spoiling the film. The cinematography was incredible to say the least and is sure to receive an Oscar nod. The IMAX scale definitely takes a lot of the credit for invoking that “stargazing” feeling I mentioned earlier. If you haven’t already seen this movie yet, SEE IT IN IMAX 70mm FILM (full list of locations). As great a job as Hoyte van Hoytema did, some shots lacked the clarity that Wally Pfister can provide when it comes to film. Whenever a shot was slightly out of focus or grainy on reverse coverage, I could not help but think of how the film might have looked had Nolan’s usual partner been around (and not away making Transcendence). That’s not to discredit the cinematography – it was the best looking film I’ve seen all year and definitely among the nicest I’ve ever seen.
To touch on Zimmer’s score now, it seemed obvious that he would marry synthesiser with orchestra, especially after the obvious electronic influences in The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack, but I was wrong – his instrumental choice was intriguing when they first launch into space, but it grows on you. The second I arrived home from the screening I tried to purchase the soundtrack (which is unfortunately not available for another two weeks).
“The Nolan Touch” as I like to call it was not for everyone. You’ll either hate it or you’ll love it. Coming out of the theatre, many were talking about how Nolan tried to reach for something that was beyond him (an accusation I laid on Besson for Lucy), but the reason I would disagree with this, is that they had the world’s leading astrophysicist working on the film as a technical advisor. Although some elements are complex and hard to follow, it’s because it is. These, almost confusing, moments distance us from the reality of the action and sometimes make us aware of how much information is being thrown at us; they are all elements based off of actual standing theories and hypotheses. There’s even a line of dialogue suggesting that “love” is a fifth dimension beyond time and space – some quantum physicists have hypothesised this, maybe not using the word “love”, but suggesting a metaphysical link between humans/living beings has certainly been done outside of this film. As the film’s runtime continues, the concepts explored become more and more complex, less realistic, beyond theoretical and more hypothetical resulting in audience members either beyond left in awe or disconnected.
Overall, I found this film to be very enjoyable and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a nice mix of art-house, Hollywood and complexity.
8.9/10
Ellen Burstyn, Matthew McConaughey, Mackenzie Foy, John Lightgow, Timothée Chalamet, David Oyelowo, Callette Wolfe, Francis X McCarthy, Bill Irwin, Anne Hathaway, Andrew Borba, Wed Bentley, William Devane, Michael Caine and David Gyasi
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