‘Interstellar’ is a breathtaking ride to outer space and inner depths: 3.5 stars
Time fascinates Christopher Nolan. He slowed down reality in “Inception.” He told a story back to front in “Memento.”
And now the Oscar-nominated director takes the fourth dimension to new heights in “Interstellar,” a science-fiction (heavy on science) adventure steeped in Einstein’s theory of relativity that is equal parts enigmatic, exhilarating, elaborate and emotionally wrenching.
Nolan’s rampant ambition occasionally outweighs his execution but not enough to lessen the impact of this blockbuster.
Matthew McConaughey plays Cooper, a widower and former astronaut raising two children with the help of his father-in-law (John Lithgow). For a decade, an unexplained blight has been killing off the world’s crops and progressively depleting the oxygen. This catastrophe ushers in a technophobic culture. Now people with PhDs are tasked with figuring out better ways to farm, which is why Cooper grows corn, one of the few crops left that can survive the increasingly smothering dust storms.
“It’s like we’ve forgotten who we are: explorers, pioneers, not caretakers,” Coop complains.
He and preteen daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy of “Twilight: Breaking Dawn”) uncover clues that lead them to an underground NASA operation. Under the direction of Coop’s old mentor, Dr. Brand (Michael Caine), scientists have prepared a Hail Mary mission to explore other planets via a wormhole that miraculously materialized near Saturn.
“We’re not meant to save the world; we’re meant to leave it,” Brand says.
Coop must decide whether to pilot the craft — whose crew includes Brand’s daughter, Amelia (Anne Hathaway) — even though he might not return. Even if he can, Einstein’s theory suggests he will age more slowly than those on Earth. He could come back to kids older than himself.
It’s tempting to get swept away by the technical triumphs in “Interstellar,” especially since so many of them are not digital creations. Nolan loves old-fashioned methods like sets, stunts and camera tricks — he even shot the project on 70mm film. His visual mastery certainly resonates, from an astonishingly weird descent into the black hole named Gargantua (a trip that echoes Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”) to the bizarre designs of the segmented obelisks that serve as robotic crew members.
But this is really a film about ideas. The script by Nolan and younger brother Jonathan Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) delivers ruminations on love, regret, sacrifice, faith and even the real meaning of Murphy’s Law.
But they’re often wrapped in exacting scientific vernacular. Actors on the various “Star Trek” series complained that their biggest challenge was making the technobabble sound natural. There are plenty of big-name actors in this ensemble (some billed, some surprises), and they do their best to verbally chew through reams of quantum concepts.
McConaughey is more wired and mumbling than his “True Detective” counterpart but no less obsessed with purpose. There are few scenes this year that pack as much wallop as Coop binge-watching recorded transmissions from Earth, seeing his kids grow up in a matter of minutes. (As adults they’re played by Jessica Chastain and Casey Affleck.) This transpires after his crew is forced into a drive-by on a planet where one hour equals seven years on Earth.
Sure, there are a couple of nagging plot holes in “Interstellar.” (Why wouldn’t NASA seek out Coop in the first place to pilot the ship?) But none of these are Gargantua-sized. The prolonged pacing doles out the thrills judiciously — an action sequence set on a water world of mountain-sized waves is outstanding — but the lingering feel of the film is that it might require repeat viewings to fully appreciate. Will it get better, deeper with another look or will its mysteries seem hokier and more convoluted once the twists are already known?
With a Christopher Nolan movie, it’s all relative.
‘INTERSTELLAR’
☆☆☆1/2
Rated PG-13 | Time: 2:48
FIVE STELLAR FACTS
▪ Matthew McConaughey’s character is named Cooper, a nod to astronaut Gordon Cooper and actor Gary Cooper, who, in “High Noon,” was the lone sheriff saving his town.
▪ Astrophysicist Kip Thorne served as executive producer and adviser on wormholes, black holes and relativity. Michael Caine based his scientist character on Thorne, right down to the goatee.
▪ Iceland was the otherworldly setting for two planets: one an ocean with epic waves, another an icy outpost.
▪ Most of the Earth scenes were shot in rural Alberta, Canada. Filmmakers planted 500 acres of corn, only to destroy them. “You had wind turbines chucking dust made out of cardboard, you had smoke from the fires from the burning corn; the future is not pretty,” co-star Jessica Chastain says.
▪ The movie begins with old-timers describing Earth’s wasteland. They’re played by survivors of the real 1930s Dust Bowl, who originally appeared in a Ken Burns documentary.
| Sharon Hoffmann, shoffmann@kcstar.com
Sources: Time, Entertainment Weekly
This story was originally published November 5, 2014 at 3:02 PM with the headline "‘Interstellar’ is a breathtaking ride to outer space and inner depths: 3.5 stars."