So Interstellar has polarised opinion.
We all know Christopher Nolan is a great director. Some think he dropped the ball this time.
Well, I am going to start by laying my cards on the table straight away. I really liked it. I thought for all its flaws (some of the dialog is mixed badly and is hard to hear) it was a really enjoyable film.
It is a clever idea and one that works nicely to take you through a very enjoyable story.
Like with most films you have to suspend disbelief and some parts you have to let go more than you would normally do for a science fiction film, but for me they did not ruin the film, I just let them wash over me as minor holes in the overall story. One of the big ones people bring up is about how Matthew McConaughey gets involved with the program in the first place (I am trying to avoid spoilers for those who have not yet seen it, all 5 of you). To me this gripe of some, is almost quite a clever look into the eternal chicken and egg question. How can one event influence another situation when it first needs that event to have already happened.
Visually this film, like all of Nolan's work is stunning. The imagining of space, black holes and worm holes is clever, beautiful and if you look around YouTube to some respected scientists, actually pretty accurate.
The use of time and gravity in the film are cleverly played out, making quite a tough concept for people like me, understand some of physics and the laws that it works to.
It is a well crafted film, with some good performances. It has a few moments that are weaker that you would expect from the actors involved, and some of the questions raised by the films own internal logic are questionable but again I suspend my disbelief and look at it with a little less cynicism. I think it tries to show that even great men and women can have internal struggles and wrestle with their own position and ethics. While it may not achieve this in the best way possible, and for some kills what the film was trying to set up in the first place, I try to look past that again put it into the context of the film in general.
I admire Christopher Nolan as a director and love his work, I admire what he tries to do for a film even if I don't always enjoy it. I am one of the few people that did not love Memento when it came out. I may even need to re-watch it to see if I was overly harsh first time around. I did like the concept back then, but found it frustrating to watch, essentially seeing the same scene over and over again, adding a little and losing a little each time. It was clever. I am not disputing that, but did not engage me as a viewer.
Interstellar engaged me as a viewer despite having its own internal issues for either plot or character development.
Most people agree now that Christopher Nolan makes a good film and this blip for some will not stop them going to see his next film, which to me is a good thing. There are few directors today that get to do their own unique take on life, the universe and everything. Whether the attempt is good or bad, until the overwhelming majority of a directors work is bad, I think they should be given the artistic control to try. People like Nolan, Burton and Depp have great and bad work, but you would hope they keep pushing to make great films again.
As a closing thought I would suggest that you watch Interstellar with an open mind, and see it for what it is. The attempt it makes and what I think it does achieve as an enjoyable film. You may want to write it off and that is fine too. Ignore it and wait for the next Christoper Nolan film to see if it is as grand in scale as his past work like this and Inception. It would be a shame to see him neutered for trying to be creative.
