Interstellar
Director: Christopher Nolan
Nov. 7, 2014
There is a strange sensation of emptiness after “Interstellar” ends. In almost three hours of running time, Christopher Nolan tries to tackle multiple ideas that could very well fit within a trilogy but which become confusing in a single movie.
The film tells the story of a group of explorers who undertake a quest to look for a new planet. This planet is supposed to be a place where people can move to before life on Earth becomes unsustainable.
In this new work, Nolan shows a maturity in his directing. As opposed to other contemporary filmmakers, Nolan does not rush his shots. He is capable of drawing beautiful images and always allows enough time for the viewer to admire them.
One early sequence, for instance, shows Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) chasing an air drone with his kids. The aerial shots of Cooper’s truck racing across farm fields are aesthetically pleasing and draw the viewer into the story.
Overall, the film does not disappoint visually. The first planet visited by the characters, for example, is made up of an infinite, shallow ocean filled with giant waves. The combination of these three seemingly different elements — shallow water, no visible boundaries and monstrous waves — create an environment that is as much as beautiful as it is intriguing.
Throughout the film, Nolan presents situations with great dramatic potential, but everything seems to be solved too easily.
The result is a movie that moves at a pace where viewers can never truly engage with one situation, as if Nolan were in a rush to solve a problem and move on to the next big effect.
The idea of being stuck on a planet filled by water, where each hour equals to seven years on Earth — thus making people fail to age at the same rate of their loved ones — creates one of the best dramatic and visually engaging sequences of the film. However, the situation is solved in a few minutes, never allowing time for the audience to feel any of the anxiety, suspense or loss Nolan seems to aim for.
After a few of these scenes, the movie loses its drama since the viewer already knows everything will be fine again soon. The characters are always carried into the next special effect without time to feel the consequences of their actions.
This story pace hurts the acting. Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon, for example, are stuck in characters that never give them enough emotional baggage to work with. Dr. Mann, played by Damon, is a character who has all the revenge elements to become a strong power in the story, but his participation comes and goes in few minutes without enriching the film.
Nolan makes clear his attempt to say something about time and relationships with this story. However, he seems to only orbit around these themes, sometimes getting closer only to get farther away again a few moments later but never diving into them.
Verdict:
Interstellar has several interesting situations, but most end underdeveloped and frustrating. Nolan could have accomplished much more had he focused on only one or two of these situations. It is far from being a bad film, but it falls short of Nolan’s full potential.
Grade: B-
