Interstellar - Part 8

[I SEE SPIDEY]

The movie hasn't been out long, I do think not using spoiler tags is unfair.

 

[The Shape]

Anyone else feel this won't translate well onto DVD/Bluray? Like Gravity I think the only place to watch this is on the canvas it was intended for.

Eh, I think it'll translate fine, especially if you have a great TV set with a Blu Ray player. Watching it on a computer or crappy TV will suck, as it does for watching most films.

The difference between this and Gravity is that Gravity relies so much more on the visuals. The visuals, effects, and harrowing action scenes are what make Gravity the film experience it was in theater, whereas Interstellar has plenty of quieter, character-based sequences that are accentuated by the bigger space sequences. There's more of a story to follow, while Gravity essentially boils down to a woman lost in space alone, trying to survive and facing countless obstacles.

 

[kedrell]

I do have a problem with the fact that the main twist basically turns out to have all the logic of a Bill & Ted bit from one of those movies(which worked there because they were played for laughs). Here in this super serious movie it just comes off as .

 

[jmc]

Eh, I think it'll translate fine, especially if you have a great TV set with a Blu Ray player. Watching it on a computer or crappy TV will suck, as it does for watching most films.

The difference between this and Gravity is that Gravity relies so much more on the visuals. The visuals, effects, and harrowing action scenes are what make Gravity the film experience it was in theater, whereas Interstellar has plenty of quieter, character-based sequences that are accentuated by the bigger space sequences. There's more of a story to follow, while Gravity essentially boils down to a woman lost in space alone, trying to survive and facing countless obstacles.

I dunno, I've seen plenty of character driven bigger scale movies not translate well to home theatre, something is inevitably missing no matter how big a screen you have or what your sound system is like. There are character moments but it's intertwined with huge scale visuals that frankly dwarf Gravity. I mean there's a lot of big visuals in this film, the Black Hole sequence alone will be diminished considerably, so I don't know if I agree it will translate well on home theatre, to be honest I don't think the story is strong enough to overcome it.

I do have a problem with the fact that the main twist basically turns out to have all the logic of a Bill & Ted bit from one of those movies(which worked there because they were played for laughs). Here in this super serious movie it just comes off as .

From what I understand it's actually within the laws of the universe for that to be possible. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

 

[MMB]

Lol at the guy spoiling the movie on previous page.

 

[Snow Queen]

I definitely think it'll lose something when not in the theater, but that goes for a lot of films in my opinion. It won't diminish the quality, but the visuals and audio are of course far better in a theater than at home. Going to have to go back and see this in LieMax one more time before it gets replaced by the new Hunger Games.

 

[Anita18]

Thanks Anita, I look forward to seeing the differences

And yeah I agree jmc, in fact it's made me hestitant to see it again in a regular theatre purely because of how incredible the experience was in IMAX.

Snow Queen gave some big ones here, and I will detail a few more that I can remember:

A handful that I can recall:

Spoiler

They were led to NASA by a probe they found, all the bookshelf and dust message stuff was new.

I believe I recall TARS and CASE being humanoid.

There were aliens that joined together to form larger organisms. On the ice planet, if memory serves.

There was no Dr. Mann. The...I can't recall if it was a person or robot, but the person/robot they found there was from an old Chinese mission with this same purpose. They had conflict with it as well.

Rather than the whole bookshelf thing, Cooper sent the probe from earlier to Earth.

There was a sex scene between Cooper and Brand.

Murph was a boy and had a smaller role.

I don't believe that Caine's Brand had that reveal, seeing as Murph had a reduced role.

Pretty sure I remember Cooper meeting not Murph or Tom but one of their children at the end of their life. I think that was it...can't recall exactly, the last act is where things get fuzzy for me with the differences.

The love stuff wasn't really present.

I seem to remember the ending being just Cooper and TARS going out for adventure rather than going back to Brand on the planet...not so sure about that though, as I said, my memory gets fuzzy as it gets to the end of the script.

One thing that I kinda missed was a subplot from the ice planet they came across, the one with upside down mountains.

Spoiler

They found a little self-forming alien there, that could evolve at rapid speed but it never evolved past a certain age because its sun would fry it. In the early script, Cooper ended up accidentally letting it go on an icy planet without a frying sun...that ended up being a decimated Earth after the humans leave.

It read as really cute in the script, which is why I kind of missed it.




The biggest improvement was the change of agents in the second/third act.

Spoiler

The early script went in detail about how the "Plan A" gravity machine is made. Turns out there was a secret Chinese space station in the bulk (in the wormhole), using robots to make the machine. They took hundreds of years to develop it, but because it's in the bulk, time is of no essence. Cooper and Brand simply come across it, take its specs, put it in the probe, then send it across the black hole back to Earth, which old Cooper finds (yes, it leads him to NASA don't remember how) and Murph's son (yup, Murph's son) later figures out. The script actually shows Cooper's grandson actually performing the pivotal gravity experiments. At the end of the movie, Cooper actually meets his great-grandson or something like that. He never sees Murph again, and never meets his grandson.

Like Snow Queen said, there's no Dr. Mann, but there is a Chinese robot that impersonates one of their own robots (just following its directives to protect the space station in the bulk) and causes trouble like Dr. Mann does.

Oh, and the "they" who made the wormhole are not future humans, but gravity-bending aliens that simply want humans to live, for whatever reason. It's not explained, they just are kind of there. Amelia communicates with them by throwing BBs in the air and they communicate MOS-style via the shapes they make.

I'm REALLY glad Chris simplified those parts, there were just too many random agents coming in mid-movie for that. The script wasn't that good IMO, because of that. I was like, at the people who raved about the script, haha. Chris somehow turned it on itself like he does in all his films. The first shot really reminded me of The Prestige for that reason.




The whole bit about love is also not in the script.

Spoiler

Amelia's reasons for going are not spelled out. There is no Edmunds that she is in love with and wants to see again. And yes, Cooper and Brand do bone in the script and it's pretty effin' random. But like in the film, Cooper leaves with Tars to see her again.

Although in the film, the focus is more on Cooper's explorer nature than anything else.



The additional focus on Murph in the film, I actually liked a lot. Even though the big realization is kind of cheesy, but there's a lot of parental legacy that I really liked.

Spoiler

It's kind of incidental in the script, that the probe is found to be important by Murph and his son. Whereas in the film, Cooper chooses her to be the recipient of his messages.

IIRC, the space station in the script is named after the elder Cooper, not Murph. The fact that they named it after her in the film, I liked a lot. And not just because I'm a woman in STEM. She also doesn't continue working with the elder Brand, IIRC. I think the grandson figures most of that out in their barn. Again, kind of random.

Those are the really big differences that I recall.

All in all, it's certainly not a typical sort of blockbuster film - that's why it feels a lot like 2001 or Gravity to me, in that it's more of a journey or experience. But I really appreciate how optimistic it is. It assumes that people do find ways together to survive, and not that humans are destined to nuke each other before becoming extremely advanced.

 

[kedrell]

From what I understand it's actually within the laws of the universe for that to be possible. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Well setting aside the fact that hardly any of the audience are scientists thus making how true it all is or not irrelevant, which incongruity do you mean? [BLACKOUT]That the guy goes back to the bookcase after going through the black hole or that it's us(humanity) who are the 'aliens' from the future who threw the humanity of the past(who are facing extinction) a life line with that wormhole in the first place?[/BLACKOUT] Because the former is contained within the latter. I have no issue with the former in and of itself. It's the latter that's a little too Bill & Ted for me.

 

[sycore]

Good film and it kept me entertained but it did not meet all the hyperbole that was attached to it 3/5

Did anyone else have problems hearing some of the dialogue?

Yes. Many people have reported problems hearing the dialogue. It is Bane all over again. Between the overpowering musical score and McConnys Texas drawl and mumble, I think I missed half the movie. Even with that, it still was 90% amazing. Epic scope and cinematography. Didn't mine all the metaphysical love and survival stuff because in the end that is what drives us. It is a movie you need to see twice just to get all the dialogue and stuff you missed on first viewing. A couple of criticisms besides the sound mix was the robots. Could not tell half the time when they were speaking as their voices were to human. Half the time I thought it was one of the scientist or McConny talking. Also, they could have taken out unnecessary stuff like the parent/teacher meeting and gone into more detail about the "blight". The how and why of it, how many people were left. It did not seem like those space stations they were building could hold many. Finally, some of the McConny speeches to Micheal Cain were eye rolling. Like he was doing another Lincoln commercial or something. Probably going to wait for the blu-ray to turn on the closed caption and form my final opinion.

 

[AnneFan]

I thought the film dragged, it could have used some editing or rewrites. I thought most of the emotional stuff worked but sometimes it traveled into eye rolling wannabe Spielberg territory. I appreciate Nolan going for a more hopeful and emotional tone for once. I guessed the third act twist before it was revealed, that's rare for me.

The performances were strong, Hathaway and MM were the clear standouts but everybody was good. I liked Zimmer's score but I feel Inception's was better. Obviously the film was well directed and has excellent visuals but that goes without saying really.

I have to say that I don't think the story on it's face was anything super new. It's a nice sci fi story that would have made for a decent 90's Outer Limits episode but my mind wasn't blown by it or anything. I come down on it being a good film and maybe it will get better on a second viewing or worst, I won't be figuring out until it hits DVD/Blu Ray because I'm poor.

Rating: 8/10

Good you have seen the movie now. I gave the movie 8/10 as well, Spidey.

Mine was pretty silent too. And there was a couple who left early (walked out?).

About three people walked out in my showing, too. And so very close to the end. Their loss. And yes, I did buy a small coke and a larger popcorn. Didn't feel the need to go to the bathroom once. t:

 

[The Shape]

I dunno, I've seen plenty of character driven bigger scale movies not translate well to home theatre, something is inevitably missing no matter how big a screen you have or what your sound system is like. There are character moments but it's intertwined with huge scale visuals that frankly dwarf Gravity. I mean there's a lot of big visuals in this film, the Black Hole sequence alone will be diminished considerably, so I don't know if I agree it will translate well on home theatre, to be honest I don't think the story is strong enough to overcome it.

I mean, the same can essentially be said for nearly any film that has big action sequences or visual spectacle. Something will always be lost from the silver screen to the small screen with these kinds of films. That's why I firmly believe it's important to see films like this in a theater first, and why I scoff at people who watch bootleg movies and feel sorry for them. The 10 bucks they save is not worth the experience they miss out on.

 

[Quasimod0]

So when does the score come out?

 

[titansupes]

^ November 18th.

I just listened the leaked docking scene audio. God, that scene. Amazing.

 

[AnneFan]

Are there aliens in this movie?

Thinking about this, even though the film doesn't confirm or deny the existence of extra-terrestrials, I think a theme is we are the aliens. We go to space, and indeed on other adventures, because we choose to. The revelation at the end shows

Spoiler

the messages were sent by a human being in Cooper, and the extra-dimension beings are a future form of humanity.

I also liked the underlying vibe that the other planets they visit are so inhospitable and dangerous, that they're probably worse than Earth's current condition in the film. Thus leaving to find other planets is dicy and sometimes not even worth it. That humanity could merely be existing and not living.

 

[Quasimod0]

Probably my favorite part of the film was from the moment [BLACKOUT]when Damon turns on Cooper, to the part where Cooper docks with the out of control ship. Those were some amazing and intense scenes.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[redhawk23]

"That's impossible."

"It's necessary."

I don't know if I got the quotes exactly right but that's pretty much my favorite exchange in any movie this year.

 

[AnneFan]

"That's impossible."

"It's necessary."

I don't know if I got the quotes exactly right but that's pretty much my favorite exchange in any movie this year.

McConaughey has a perfect voice for high pressure situations. So calm and measured.

 

[jmc]

Well setting aside the fact that hardly any of the audience are scientists thus making how true it all is or not irrelevant, which incongruity do you mean? [BLACKOUT]That the guy goes back to the bookcase after going through the black hole or that it's us(humanity) who are the 'aliens' from the future who threw the humanity of the past(who are facing extinction) a life line with that wormhole in the first place?[/BLACKOUT] Because the former is contained within the latter. I have no issue with the former in and of itself. It's the latter that's a little too Bill & Ted for me.

I was referring more to [BLACKOUT]Time as it's perceived in a higher dimension[/BLACKOUT]. Whilst [BLACKOUT] Coop surviving the Black Hole [/BLACKOUT] is nonsense, the way the [BLACKOUT] Time Loop[/BLACKOUT] is represented from what I've read doesn't contradict the laws of the physics. There's a book I've read from Dr. Michio Kaku that hypotheses a lot of what Interstellar suggests, including [BLACKOUT]future humans evolving to beings represented in the film[/BLACKOUT] .

 

[Anita18]

Thinking about this, even though the film doesn't confirm or deny the existence of extra-terrestrials, I think a theme is we are the aliens. We go to space, and indeed on other adventures, because we choose to. The revelation at the end shows

Spoiler

the messages were sent by a human being in Cooper, and the extra-dimension beings are a future form of humanity.

I also liked the underlying vibe that the other planets they visit are so inhospitable and dangerous, that they're probably worse than Earth's current condition in the film. Thus leaving to find other planets is dicy and sometimes not even worth it. That humanity could merely be existing and not living.

I really liked the theme of exploration in this film. The truth is, humanity has ALWAYS explored, even when they don't know what's on the other side. That's how we've taken over the world, and won't stop exploring even the bottom of the oceans, when there's no chance of colonizing it.

We have to look beyond what we know, in order to take ourselves further than what we can imagine.

The part in the beginning, the PTA meeting, was not in the early script IIRC, but it was actually very important thematically.

Spoiler

By denying that the Apollo missions ever existed, the future US in Interstellar is essentially saying to give up exploration, to give up what made us pioneers at the forefront of human capability. Because it is now so intent on protecting what we know, on farming, even if that life is slipping away. It is clear that the film is very much against this kind of ignorant head-in-the-sand self-preservation.

It's saying that humanity HAS to take risks.

 

[jmc]

Indeed we must.

 

[AnneFan]

I really liked the theme of exploration in this film. The truth is, humanity has ALWAYS explored, even when they don't know what's on the other side. That's how we've taken over the world, and won't stop exploring even the bottom of the oceans, when there's no chance of colonizing it.

We have to look beyond what we know, in order to take ourselves further than what we can imagine.

The part in the beginning, the PTA meeting, was not in the early script IIRC, but it was actually very important thematically.

Spoiler

By denying that the Apollo missions ever existed, the future US in Interstellar is essentially saying to give up exploration, to give up what made us pioneers at the forefront of human capability. Because it is now so intent on protecting what we know, on farming, even if that life is slipping away. It is clear that the film is very much against this kind of ignorant head-in-the-sand self-preservation.

It's saying that humanity HAS to take risks.

Yeah. Why climb Mount Everest? Because it is there. Exploring is always a gamble, but as Cooper says, we find a way. We always have. And they do.

 

[jmc]

We've become risk averse. Richard Branson copped some flak the other week after one of his Virgin Galactic vehicles crashed by essentially saying 'We have to keep moving forward'. As cold as it may come across he's also 100% correct, we can't let headlines like 'Space Tourism Now in Doubt' affect progress, history is littered with brave people who gave their lives for pushing us to new frontiers and greater heights. Without taking risks nothing new gets done.

 

[Drz]

It's an okay film. If you've seen Space Odyssey 2001, Star Trek or Mad Max, the movie doesn't provide anything new to you.

 

[kedrell]

I was referring more to [BLACKOUT]Time as it's perceived in a higher dimension[/BLACKOUT]. Whilst [BLACKOUT] Coop surviving the Black Hole [/BLACKOUT] is nonsense, the way the [BLACKOUT] Time Loop[/BLACKOUT] is represented from what I've read doesn't contradict the laws of the physics. There's a book I've read from Dr. Michio Kaku that hypotheses a lot of what Interstellar suggests, including [BLACKOUT]future humans evolving to beings represented in the film[/BLACKOUT] .

[BLACKOUT]Cooper surviving the Black Hole[/BLACKOUT] didn't bother me because you can just chalk it up to [BLACKOUT]the future evolved people used their advanced mumbo jumbo to allow that to happen.[/BLACKOUT]

I also have no issue with the concept of humans [BLACKOUT]evolving into 5 dimensions[/BLACKOUT] or whatever stuff they were selling in this movie.

[BLACKOUT]But how is that going to happen if that needs to have happened already in order for those future people to still exist so they can send the wormhole back so past people can save humanity.[/BLACKOUT] It doesn't work.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

It's an okay film. If you've seen Space Odyssey 2001, Star Trek or Mad Max, the movie doesn't provide anything new to you.

I don't think it's anything new either. I think it's a well made solid to good sci fi film. It's Signs meets 2001 meets Inception meets Armageddon. And that's all well and good but I'm not going to pretend those parts added up to the most original masterpiece ever. They could have I suppose, if the script was better.