Interstellar

Interstellar directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Cain, Casey Affleck, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow, Wes Bentley, Matt Damon, Jessica Chastian, and Topher Grace.

I've been composing my thoughts on this movie ever since I saw it in glorious 70mm IMAX.  I'm a huge Nolan fan and a huge sci-fi fan so my thoughts on this film will be a little bias.  There is such a lack of really good original sci-fi films that come out that when one comes out I will give it a little lee way even if it is not perfect.  This movie is not a sequel nor is it related in anyway to comic book franchise.  It is its own beast full of its own ideas and not trying to start another series of movies, for this I will continue to give this movie credit.  But after saying all of that this is by no means Mr. Nolan's best film and would rank lower on his list when compared to his other movies.  Even after saying all of that I will still take a not perfect Nolan film over some of the better films that Hollywood has to offer.  As before with any Nolan movie, this movie is perfectly cast (see the cast list above) and as before with any Nolan movie, he gives his actors and actresses plenty of time and scenes to act in.

This movie is full of ideas and that is where the trouble begins.  Too many ideas is like too many villains or too many antagonists, there is a hard time focusing on what is going on screen which leaves the story feeling a little jumbled.  The heart of this movie is family, specifically the relationship between a father and a daughter - when the movie focuses on this it is good and feels genuine.  I will say this I was wholly invested into this relationship, so for the most part what happened next in the movie I was bought into because the foundation set between the father and a daughter.  

This is the best movie I've ever seen  to deal with the time debt of space travel.  I've read about it in many sci-fi books but had never visually seen it portrayed on screen.  Kubrick briefly touched upon it in 2001: A Space Odyssey but this movie brings it to a whole other level, which was a wonderfully, beautifully thing to experience on screen.  The comparisons to 2001 can't be ignored nor do I think Nolan is even trying to distance himself from them because this is the closest I will ever get to seeing 2001 on an IMAX screen and for that I will be forever grateful.

Overall despite its flaws I did like this movie and I enjoyed seeing a more tender, emotional side of Nolan and am looking forward to his next movie.  In Nolan I trust.