“An epic sci-fi disaster movie but sadly not a flawless one”

Dir: Christopher Nolan
Prod: Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, Lynda Obst
Writ: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Wes Bentley, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Mackenzie Foy, Casey Affleck

Interstellar is Christopher Nolan’s attempt and only Sci-Fi disaster movie. This is a movie like, “What if Armageddon, but instead of a meteor, this time it’s dust, and 2001: A Space Odyssey?” What you get is Interstellar, a 2 hours and 49 minutes epic IMAX-shot sci-fi disaster, but sadly, it’s not a flawless movie. It still good movie for me but, there are some flaws I can point out, but let’s review the positives first.

First of all, the acting from the cast is great. Matthew McConaughey has been amazing in everything from Mud, Magic Mike, The Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club (which he won an Oscar for), and now Interstellar. This man has range from indie drama to sci-fi disaster movie, and he’s totally believable as Coop. You really care about him because he plays the character so well. Mackenzie Foy is one of the best young actresses in this generation. Her portrayal of young Murph is excellent, and Jessica Chastain as adult Murph is also great. All of the acting is solid: Anne Hathaway, John Lithgow, Wes Bentley, Michael Caine, and of course (SPOILER ALERT) the surprise cameo by Matt Damon as Dr. Mann.

The cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema is fantastic the way the movie is shot and how it looks. The CGI is seamless and almost unnoticeable. The music by Hans Zimmer is amazing and by far my favorite Hans Zimmer score, right alongside Rush, The Dark Knight, Black Rain, Top Gun: Maverick, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The sound design is also great; it’s bombastic, loud, and suspenseful.

Now, onto the flaws. This is by no means a great Nolan movie, at least for me. Let me explain the mixed aspects. First, the story and its structure: It is a disaster movie first and foremost, but Nolan executes it a bit too cliché. It just becomes another Armageddon, but with more depth and sense. Also, the character development feels like it’s only given to Murph and Cooper because I don’t feel much chemistry between the other characters. The supporting characters who have development are actually TARS and CASE, played by Bill Irwin and Josh Stewart. As for the sound design, while I praised it earlier it’s just that the dialogue gets drowned out by the music and action sequences, making it too loud. It becomes a problem if you’re watching without subtitles.

As for the negatives, the third act every time the movie fades to black or something, it feels like “Okay, this movie is going to end,” but it actually isn’t. It just keeps going and sometimes feels dragged out. The dialogue, which was written by Jonathan Nolan (Christopher’s brother) but with Christopher’s help, just doesn’t work. The first and second acts have great dialogue, but the third act changes into Christopher Nolan’s on-the-nose, too-patriotic, and Michael Bay-esque dialogue, which doesn’t really fit, considering the movie is very grounded and scientifically accurate.

Overall, I was entertained by the movie, even though it ranks as one of the weaker films in Christopher Nolan’s filmography, and it’s kind of a guilty pleasure alongside Tenet. It’s way, way better than Armageddon, but the problem is, it’s just good not a masterpiece. I still enjoy rewatching it and the re-release in here I even watching in it IMAX, knowing what it was and what it’s about.

My Rating: B+