Interstellar, the new science fiction epic by Chris Nolan, director of the Dark Knight trilogy and Inception, is a science nerd's dream. Time, space, relativity, gravity, dimensional complexity, delivered to the audience in easy to digest morsels, by actors and actresses that look nothing like any math/science/physics geniuses that anyone will happen across any time soon. That Hollywood-ism aside, Interstellar is a bold project that takes on a mountain of subject matter, both scientific and emotional, and develops it over the course of the 2 hour and 49 minute run time. The story is strategically divided between the events that occur in outer space, and the relative events that occur on earth.
The plot line itself is a built atop a critical commentary on the current state of affairs - and projected future - of our planet, and grows pessimistically from that foundation. As a thinking person and a bit of a science nerd, I appreciated many of the physics theories that were fleshed out for consideration, before my eyes. As an avid movie goer, I was conscious of a number of points in the film where the story seemed to drag and hover, as an uncomfortable number of possible directions for the story loomed about. In hindsight I attributed this to the sheer magnitude of the subject matter that Nolan was trying to corral. The pacing of the last 30-45 minutes picked up considerably, and for a time I was concerned that perhaps the story would clunkily halt to an abrupt end. Thankfully this was not the case.
As the end credits began, I immediately found myself pondering many of the scientific theories, that I'd seen played out on screen. Nolan is an imaginative, visionary director, and I am always appreciative of new looks, concepts, and subject matter that causes me to think or re-think; shift my perspective.
Overall rating, from an Imajen perspective - 6.5 out of 10.
Strong points: Boldness, messaging, and visuals.
Weak points: Story inconsistencies, run time relative to pacing, and casting diversity.
Here at Imajen, we are big on diversity of images and positive representation of culture in storytelling, and this plays a significant role in our considerations/recommendations of film and media. Of course we understand that stories are typically told from the perspective relative to the writer/creator, and the writer/creators are typically reflective of the dominant population. Here in America, the dominant population is white. That's fact. There was only one notable black person in Interstellar. That's also fact. -A scientist who was killed off in spectacular fashion.
Is it possible for others, outside of America's dominant population to save the world? Is is possible for the dominant population to accept the concept of someone other than a direct reflection of him or herself, saving the world?
THAT is a theory of relativity. Cultural relativity. One that we at Imajen are dedicated to pondering and exploring. Are you listening, Mr. Nolan? How about you, America?
Be sure to check back regularly, as movie reviews will be uploaded weekly, consisting of both new releases as well as independent and foreign produced projects.
If you haven't already, look us up on Facebook. You can also follow on twitter @imajendotcom.
