After I attend a movie screening, I typically like to sit and marinate for a few days before I crack open the laptop and sit down to write a review. I'm sure some critics like to rush home and get it all out in a quick burst so they can, if nothing else, stop having to think about it. But not me - I'm a dweller. I like to let the thoughts bubble and churn before eventually solidifying into a cohesive analysis. After all, the filmmakers and actors and all the people involved in the movie just spent at least a year of their life toiling over the film I'm tasked to critique; if they can be expected to create and live in a world for the amount of time it takes the earth to circle the sun, then the least I can do is give the earth a few rotations before I pass my judgment.
That said, I've been thinking about Interstellar pretty hard now for the better part of a week. And you know what? The only conclusion I've drawn is that I've never felt so divided by a film before. On one hand, judged solely as a visual medium, film has never looked this awesome. For the entire two hours and 50 minute running time, my eyes were glued fast to the screen, soaking in one amazing image after another until I was overwhelmed by wonder and awe. In terms of sheer technical achievement, Interstellar is a true marvel to behold.
On the other hand, judging strictly from a perspective of narrative? Interstellar is, at best, pretty decent.
A part of me truly loves this movie. Another is indifferent. I'm honestly not sure how to rectify this dichotomy. The narrative isn't necessarily weak: Christopher Nolan's deceptively simple story about the last ditch efforts to ensure the survival of man is engaging, but only just enough to maintain interest in what comes next. Matthew McConaughey plays Dr. Cooper, a former engineer and NASA pilot forced to give up his dreams of spaceflight for the greater good. In the world of Interstellar, an unknown contagion known only as 'blight' is slowly ruining man's supply of food. Crop after crop is dying and no farmed food is safe. After an accident and budget cuts force him from his position with the space agency, Cooper does his duty and takes up farming. A series of bizarre occurrences leads him right to the doorstep of a now underground NASA, where the top scientists and minds of the day are attempting to find a solution to man's problem by mastering interstellar travel to find and colonize distant worlds.
Which sounds cool enough. The problem is that it's, well, kind of boring - and occasionally even a little bit silly. There was a lot of self-indulgence on the part of Nolan, whose lofty ideas and goals never quite managed to coalesce into a great story no matter how hard he tried or how close he came. The weight of its own ambition might have been a touch too heavy to maintain its shape.
But, wow, do you need some serious ambition to pull off the beautiful look of this film. From the opening moments to final fade out, it leaves your eyes wide and unwavering - your jaw saw from its impact with the floor. Every single frame of this movie - from the intimate close-ups to the wide shots that stretch towards infinity - is a work of photographic art. Nolan's eye has developed marvelously over the years, and from this perspective, Interstellar is his best work to date.
The worlds visited by Dr. Cooper and his crew are beautifully realized. The first, completely covered by water, is almost enough on its own to justify the cost of an IMAX ticket. Racked by intense gravity, and with no land to stop it, massive tidal waves consume the planet to a truly dizzying affect. Even outer space is beautifully framed and rendered. I lost track of how many times I caught myself staring off into the abyss of the universe. The terror of the surrounding emptiness is shown in fantastic detail and works as a great juxtaposition to humanity's continuing efforts to push the boundaries of our exploration.
But ultimately, the overall experience is underwhelming, never quite living up to the expectations it set for itself. It may be pretty to look it, but narratively speaking, Interstellar never manages to break orbit. Which is too bad, really. What was very nearly a work of unparalleled brilliance ultimately collapses due the structurally weakness of its supporting narrative.
Posted by Unknown on Friday, November 7, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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