Interstellar (2014) stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Mackenzie Foy, Michael Caine, Matt Damon, David Gyasi, Wes Bentley, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, Timothee Chalamet, and Bill Irwin. Christopher Nolan directs the film, and the story takes place after a Dust Bowl-like apocalyptic event that eliminates a significant portion of the Earth’s population. Our protagonist is engineer/astronaut turned farmer, Cooper (McConaughey). When the remnants of NASA reveal themselves to Cooper, they inform him that Earth’s few species of healthy crops will soon die, bringing the end of humankind. They recruit Cooper to partake in a solar expedition to discover new planets for humans to inhabit. Faced with leaving his young children behind, Cooper struggles with the responsibility of being humanity’s final hope for survival. As decades pass and revelations are made, Cooper’s journey becomes one of personal survival, struggling against all odds to fulfill his promise to his daughter and make it home alive. 

 Matthew McConaughey kills it here. Interstellar was released one year after his Best Actor win for Dallas Buyers Club (2013). After looking at the nominees McConaughey was up against with Interstellar, I’m just shocked that he didn’t get a nomination. What he achieves here is just so emotionally effective that it’s hard not to tear up. Granted, I don’t think this is exclusively because of McConaughey’s performance. Christopher Nolan doesn’t often get enough credit for the performances that he’s able to get out of his actors. I’m not sure why, but I think that view is going to soon change after Cillian Murphy’s performance in Oppenheimer (2023). Also, the script wholly earns these emotional moments. They’re never rushed or overused. The film hinges on these emotional ties, so it’s nice to see that they are built out properly. 

Although the rest of the characters such as Brand (Hathaway) are played by capable actors doing their absolute best, the script treats them as an afterthought. The relationship between Cooper and his daughter, Murph (Foy, Chastain) is the film’s main emotional focus. This is unbelievably effective, but it’s at the expense of every other character. One of the more egregious examples of this is the character of Romilly (Gyasi). He is one of three crew members for the majority of the journey and receives absolutely zero character development or even defining traits in general. Besides McConaughey and Hathaway, he gets the most screen time. Every time I rewatch, I find myself being reminded that he’s even a part of the film. Cooper’s son, Tom (Chalamet, Affleck) is likewise a strange character. He’s not even much of a “character” at all. He does things that are contradicting and make his motivations unclear. A cameo role from Matt Damon is welcome. He plays a type of character we don’t often see him take on. It’s a good change of pace that is entertaining on novelty alone.

One of the more compelling aspects of the film is how it handles the portrayal of an Earth where the population is slowly dying. Nolan finds this nice balance where the state of things is dire, but it’s portrayed more like a slow type of death. There’s no violence or bodies lining the streets, there’s just an absence of life in general. There are dusty crops, gray skies, and empty landscapes. Nolan uses every tool in his belt to support the setting he’s trying to build.

Interestingly, the characters travel into a lifeless unknown in order to find life. This feeling of nothingness/lifelessness is intentional but ultimately sacrifices a certain level of visual appeal. Everything is so gray and dull that things become a bit boring visually. Granted, there are some unique visual concepts, I just think a little color would’ve helped. Even the water appears black in certain sequences. The real world isn’t as colorful as most films, but it sure is more colorful than the world of Interstellar.

The script here is top-notch about 90% of the time, but some elements become very problematic. The movie wants to simultaneously base its logic on science as well as the random/unexplained. These best of the best scientists and engineers base almost all of their actions on known science. When things become truly dire, certain characters inexplicably forsake science and decide they want to base their next moves on the mysterious power of love. It works in terms of thematic balance but is completely dishonest to the characters. It feels a bit silly in all honesty. The film also attempts to explain its climax through complex scientific concepts. It makes some level of sense but feels like it lacks creativity. It’s almost like Nolan wrote himself into a corner and could only tie things together with science. This may be fine for the more scientifically nerdy crowd, but for most audiences including myself, it comes off as a bit convoluted and forced. 

Overall, this is a very impressive and ambitious film. Though, I feel it is one of those films that earns each success by sacrificing another. The lead is given top-notch character development at the expense of other characters being completely forgotten about. The movie has a truly epic pace but also feels like it’s 25 minutes too long. The art direction supports the tone, but it’s an undeniably bleak tone that’s admittedly not too fun to look at. With all of that being said, this is an unforgettable cinematic experience. It’s one of those films that’s so emotionally effective, it’s hard not to love. Nolan once again proved that he is an artist with a singular vision that cannot be ignored. B+