In a time where the
overabundance of science-fiction is starting to exhaust the genre of any
original ideas, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is a phoenix that rises from
the ashes of tasteless video-game-like, half-cooked ideas, and it succeeds in
bringing the genre back to its glory. With many references to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar is as close as it gets to
creating a space epic that can transcend time since Kubrick’s
masterpiece.
You all should go see
Interstellar for many reasons. The First of which is that it’s very reminiscent
of classic science fiction; it’s a graceful space journey that steers away from
unnecessary hand-held action sequences, only to replace them with skillfully
executed space ballads. The visuals are a beautiful marriage of computer
generated imagery and practical effects, but what really brings them to life is
a score that is as majestic as space itself. One could argue that the Hans
Zimmer organ score almost becomes a character that is aware of itself, and due
to its overpowering presence, it’s hard to ignore the juxtaposition of classical
organ hums, and the tranquility of outer space, which gives the film its almost
divine, yet eerie aesthetic.
Secondly, Interstellar puts
you on an emotional roller coaster through an extremely human story. It’s hard
to discuss the plot in details without giving away too much, but I’ll try as
much as I can to keep this a spoiler-free zone. In a nutshell, the four-act
narrative revolves around the dynamics of a father-daughter relationship in a
struggle against time itself. The father embarks on a journey to outer space,
promising his daughter to come back one day. Within these complex boundaries, Matthew McConaughey delivers the performance of a lifetime!
Believe me when I say that the scenes of him and his daughter are goose-pumps
inducing. The plot swings back and forth between moments of sorrow, and moments
of excitement. Along with the performances, this pendulum succeeds in keeping
you on the edge of your seat during the entire 3-hour runtime of the film.
Another reason to go see
this film is the sheer brilliance of the Nolans. Their treatment to the
narrative is similar to that of their previous work, in which a series of
complicated events leads to an intervention from a dues-ex machina to suddenly
elevate a character to catharsis. However, this time, it’s bigger than ever,
and it certainly is more complicated than ever. The narrative is composed
from many counterintuitive plot points that are hard to digest, yet all of them
are supported by real science. This film is the most engaging physics class
you’ll ever attend. It takes you from Einstein’s Special Relativity to
Hawking’s theories on wormholes in a matter of minutes. The plot tries to
simplify and explain complicated concepts in very basic terms, which leads to
the dialogue falling flat at times, and even cheesy at a few instances.
However, with the complexity of the treatment, you’re never disengaged; the
narrative is layered with messages and meaning. The deeper you examine the
film, the more you can extract from it. So if you want to get the most out of
this cinematic experience, be prepared to observe, listen, and take notes. It
is the kind of film that you will end up watching more than once for the sake
of deciphering its enigmatic nature.
To conclude, it’s fair to
say that Interstellar is with no doubt the most ambitious science fiction
project of our time. No other director has attempted to achieve this kind of
grandeur since 2001: A Space Odyssey. I’m not saying that it is as good, but
it’s pretty darn close. In fact, it is the closest anyone has ever come to
achieving this kind of artistry within the commercial sci-fi genre. It is not a
perfect film, though; it has some minor flaws in the dialogue, but heck, nothing’s
purely perfect. It is definitely the film of the year, and I expect for it to
win Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original
Score, Best Achievement in Visual Effects, and Best Performance by an Actor in
a Leading Role. It is definitely worth the viewing, and I highly recommend
seeing it in IMAX.
For more information and
the trailer, please click here.
By:
Fahad Al-kuwari (@fahoods)
