Background
Interstellar has been a hollywood love baby for many years now. It's first rumblings came about when when Steven Speilberg started to get interested in the project. Of course he left but the screenwriter at the time, Jonathan Nolan, pitched the project to his brother, Christopher. Since then the film has been written, rewritten. Shot and reshot. Until it finally found its way into our local theaters.
Premise
Without spoilers, the basic premise is that the earth is dying and we need to save it. There that's all I can say, morally, without spoiling anything. Seriously.
Cast
i tin would say that the reason you see a Nolan movie is for the cast, but that wouldn't be true. Granted he always grabs 'stellar' performances from his actors/actresses, it's always story first cast second. That being said Matthew McConaughey has never been better. Anne Hathaway has never been better. Michael Caine is always great. The one standout to me came from the little girl who played Murph. She was one of the better child actors of recent memory.
Execution
Everything in this movie is executed 100% perfect. Call me a "Nolanite" but it all clicked. The visuals, the camera work, the music (which will get its own section), the writing, the scope, the emotion, the character, and of course the direction! Nolan has never been better in my opinion. You can tell by watching that this has been the type of project he has been wanting to do for a long time. And you just know he had a blast doing it.
Music
Okay, first I'm still shaking. Second, this music will make you shake. Seriously. There are two styles or themes used throughout, albeit many variations of the two. One is calm and imaginative and wondrous, and hopeful. It's utilizes strings and choirs very well. The other is intense and exciting, and unlike any other music to come before from a Hans Zimmer, Christopher Nolan collaboration. It has an amazing Organ track that plays through out and everytime time it played I was right there with the action. It was the second best character in the movie.
Verdict
This is Christipher Nolan's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and it shows. The strong characters, great performances, and wonderful music make this my favorite film of the year, and one of my favorites from Nolan himself.
10 out of 10
***SPOILERS***
1. The antagonists. There are three of them, and they are all very effective. The first is Michael Caine's character, who isn't necessarily a "villain" as much as he is a mercy killer. He is constantly trying to come up with a formula that with make it possible the transfer gravitational force between galaxies. But he can't figure it out. So he relies in "Plan B" which is to send the astronauts through the wormhole in order to find and colonize a planet for humanity to continue its existence, while everyone on earth would be left to die, himself included.
The second is Casey Afflecks character, Tom. Who is Matthew McConaughey's son he represents the side of humanity that is breaking, losing their humanity. He has a family of his own, and through many hardships he becomes a stern person. Through implied domestic abuse, we quickly learn that life in his household is hard. Keep in mind they never show any domestic violence, so I could be 100% wrong on that.
And the third is a surprise cameo that I won't ruin, though his character definitely surprised me the most.
2. The ending. This movie has been compared to "2002: A Space Odyssey" countless times. By me as well. And that mostly stems from the last 15-20 minutes of the film. McConaughey's character goes through a large black hole. And basically goes the same kind of trip as Dave from, you guessed it, '2001' albeit less ambiguous. And that might be a turn off for some but I found it to be the coolest, aesthetic, part of the whole film.
***END SPOILERS***
Those are my thoughts. What did you think, let me know in the comments.
Interstellar is directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, and Topher Grace and opens in theaters on Novemeber 7, 2014 in the United States, and The United Kingdom