Official Poster for Insterstellar

“We’ve always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible. And we count these moments—these moments where we dare to aim higher, to break barriers, to reach for the stars, to make the unknown known. We count these moments as our proudest achievements. But we lost all that. Or perhaps we’ve just forgotten that we’re still pioneers—that we’ve barely begun, that our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us, that our destiny lies above us.”—Interstellar (2014) Trailer Monologue

Films directed by Christopher Nolan are often the talk of the town whenever they come out in cinemas. Inception garnered the attention of many, and interests piqued at such a unique and well-executed premise. The Batman series—from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight Rises—are composed of properly fleshed-out characters, engaging dialogue, and action-packed scenes. It is no surprise then that Nolan’s latest film, Interstellar, provoked a very interested and a surprisingly large audience.

Interstellar (2014) tells the story of a man named Cooper (Matthew MacConaughey), supposedly born a generation too late or too early for his talents. The world is suffering from a food shortage because of the reoccurring dust storms circling the globe; the people have no time and money to waste on non-essential things. Cooper is a former NASA pilot who, due to the circumstances, settles into a farmer’s life with his father, Donald (John Lithgow), his son, Tom (Timothee Chalamet), and his daughter, Murph (played by Mackenzie For as a child and Jessica Chastain later on). Cooper is discontented with the lifestyle, longing to explore the deep space like he dreamed to do before the famines hit. Through a series of seemingly unexplainable phenomena, Cooper is lured into a NASA facility where he gets another chance to fulfil his dreams. He finds out that the Earth’s extreme climate change over the years will cause the extinction of humankind. NASA has gathered a team of scientists and explorers, including Cooper, to venture into space and find a new home planet for the human race. What Cooper experiences thereafter are both terrifying and mind-boggling.

Cooper having breakfast with his family

There’s nothing more fulfilling in a science-fiction film than well-applied concepts of theoretical science. The plot is cleverly twisted around the Theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein. Simply put, this theory states that time is relative to the gravitational field of the place. For example, time on a planet pulled in the gravitational field of a gigantic black hole moves approximately 6000 times slower than the time on Earth. This means that one hour on that planet near the black hole is seven years on Earth (*hint hint*). What’s more, Nolan explains the scientific phenomenon in understandably simple ways. The movie will certainly tickle your inner geek!

Cooper's team on the first planet

Of course, Nolan takes into mind the people who wouldn’t have an inner geek to tickle; the film is full of thrilling scenes after thrilling scenes. It may have a lethargic pace at the beginning, but the plot picks up midway; it will be a struggle to keep up with the happenings after that. Each scene will keep the audience at the edge of their seats as they are bombarded by the continuous gripping moments of the movie. Although there are a few hiccups in the plot and dialogue, as with any other movie, it is easily overlooked in favor of the big picture.

The visual effects of the film are truly breathtaking. The CGI is not only meticulous and pleasing to the eye but also incredibly and scientifically accurate. Nolan had even met up with a physicist, Dr. Kip Thorne, from the California Institute of Technology to do the calculations of the black holes, wormholes and other invented planets in the film.

Gargantua, the Black Hole

The main attraction of the film, however, are the very human emotions shown throughout the film. These characters are not only so human but also very relatable, encouraging the audience to put themselves in these people’s shoes. The characters create a magnificent contrast between the theoretical sciences revolving around them; they often make irrational and unexplainable actions and decisions. The story focuses not around the concepts of science, but around the concept of family, love, and the overall nature of humanity.

Interstellar is definitely one of Nolan’s greatest masterpieces. Although it had received a lot of criticism (like the other films directed by Nolan), it just goes to show that this movie is really worth contemplating about. With a shrewd plot, well-selected actors, incredible visuals, and a more-or-less accurate depiction of the Theory of Relativity, it comes as no surprise that Interstellar is an utter success nationwide. The audience hopes that Nolan keeps up the good work!

Sources:

IGN: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/11/nolan-responds-to-interstellar-science-gripes.

Slate: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/space_20/2014/11/interstellar_science_review_the_movie_s_black_holes_wormholes_relativity.2.html.

MailOnline: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2805131/Does-new-film-Interstellar-realistic-black-hole-Movie-s-special-effects-result-important-scientific-discovery.html.

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/.

WNS: https://werenotsorry.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/mankind-was-born-on-earth-it-was-never-meant-to-die-here-a-review-of-interstellar-2014//

The Daily Beast: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/11/neil-degrasse-tyson-breaks-down-interstellar-black-holes-time-dilations-and-massive-waves.html.