A magnificent science fiction film, intelligent, soulful, entertaining, and grand all at once.
Earth is dying. Wheat crops are destroyed by disease, corn farmers are plagued by dust storms, and governments are barely afloat. They no longer have the resources for armies, social programs, or scientific support. Humanity can only survive if it immediately begins exploring deep space. And such an opportunity presents itself when telescopes find a cosmic “wormhole” near Saturn, opening a passage to a neighboring galaxy. Probes discover several planets within technical reach that are theoretically capable of supporting life, and expeditions are sent to study these new worlds more closely. Several years later, the second phase of the exploration program begins – evaluating the collected data and making a final decision. For this, a new expedition is sent into space under the command of former pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) – the last astronaut trained in the days when such missions did not have to be organized in secret from taxpayers.
“Interstellar” originated as a project intended for Steven Spielberg as director. Christopher Nolan became interested in it when his brother Jonathan was hired as a screenwriter.
Why We Love the Nolans
What do we love about director Christopher Nolan and his screenwriter brother Jonathan? It’s because they manage to create projects that are both highbrow and emotional, as well as profound and engaging, like “Inception,” “Memento,” “Person of Interest,” and, to a slightly lesser extent, “The Dark Knight.” How many creators, even acclaimed and outstanding ones, sacrifice one for the other! And how often does a “smart” science fiction film turn out to be cold and almost lifeless, while a warm and emotional film, on the contrary, requires viewers to turn off their brains because they won’t need them during the viewing. The Nolan brothers, time and again, manage to slip between Scylla and Charybdis. And they stand out so much against the general background that they have almost no competitors.
Interstellar: A Cosmic Masterpiece
The space epic “Interstellar” is another and the most ambitious demonstration of Nolan’s superiority to date. “Dancing” from the most important expedition in the history of the future of humanity, the film covers a myriad of highbrow topics – from the nuances of quantum physics to approaches to constructing robots, and from strategies for saving humanity to the diversity of conditions on planets orbiting other stars. However, this is by no means a tedious lecture, during which mannequin characters expound on each other (and in fact – to the audience) the author’s thoughts.
Of course, there are still moments in the film when the characters strike a pose and explain to the public what is happening, because you can’t build hard science fiction otherwise. But at its core, “Interstellar” is not a scientific, but a human story about a father who flew away to save the world, although more than anything in the world he wanted to be with his children, and about his children, who, due to the “twin paradox” (under certain conditions, time flows slower for an astronaut than for those remaining on Earth), manage to grow up and become parents themselves while their father spends several years of his time wandering the Universe.
“Interstellar” is the first collaboration between Christopher Nolan and Dutch cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (“Let Me In,” “Her”). Nolan ended his collaboration with his regular cinematographer Wally Pfister when he began his own directing career with the production of “Transcendence.”
A Story of Sacrifice and Humanity
This is a poignant, heart-wrenching narrative that only benefits from the egoism inherent in modern Americans. Raised by war, Soviet cosmonauts and their families were ready to put up with personal losses in the name of the country and humanity. For the heroes of “Interstellar,” such sacrifice is new, and this makes them more vulnerable, more human, and therefore more dramatically interesting characters than if “our people” were in their place. Although, of course, it’s a shame that the Nolans never mentioned Russia and the Russian space program throughout the film and did not include a single non-American in the action. Patriotism is patriotism, but saving humanity cannot be a nationalistic project, and previously Western space epics of this scale carved out a place for “ours.”
Amelia Brand: A Missed Opportunity?
Another drawback of the film is the actual uselessness of the astronaut Amelia Brand, who flies with Cooper. The heroine of Anne Hathaway is needed by the script only to discuss Cooper’s ideas and sometimes get into trouble. When it is necessary to save the situation, Cooper does it alone or with the help of ship robots (by the way, their design is unique – it has no analogues either in life or on the screen, and this is an amazing find of the creators of the film!).
Within the framework of the film, this is explained by the fact that Amelia is an expert in creating alien colonies, but before that, the heroes did not have time to do so during the action. But this does not excuse the Nolans, who dragged a woman into space only so that she could make sarcastic remarks, make big eyes, and miss her father who remained on Earth (an obvious parallel with the experiences of the main character). The plot neglect of the heroine reaches its apotheosis in the culmination of the film, where Cooper finds himself alone with the robot, and Amelia at this time is relaxing in… Well, in general, in another place.
Yes, the robots in the film are charming, with an unexpected sense of humor. But characters, not pieces of iron, should participate in the culmination. And if your plot does not allow this, then you need to fix something in the conservatory.
Final Thoughts
If desired, “Interstellar” can find other, less significant shortcomings, some of which are inevitable for a film with exorbitant ambitions. But the advantages far outweigh them. This includes the stunning beauty of alien and space scenes, the fascination even in those moments when, it would seem, nothing dramatic is happening (this is especially true of the early scenes on Earth), and the magnificent performance of Matthew McConaughey, who has become one of the best actors of his generation, and the charisma of supporting actors like Michael Caine as the head of the space program and Matt Damon as… No, let’s not spoil it. “Interstellar” only benefits if viewers do not know in advance what a plot, visual, and ideological feast awaits them. And, by the way, how many fresh films can you name that instill not fear of space, but a desire to fly wherever you look in order to leave your footprints in alien dust? “Interstellar” is exactly such a film. And this is, perhaps, its most important advantage.