Interstellar Review

Tien-Li Hsiung

Interstellar is a science-fiction film directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan, starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine. When Earth can no longer sustain human life, former astronaut Joseph Cooper (McConaughey) must travel into outer space where he needs to find a solution before mankind becomes extinct.

The best part of Interstellar is easily Matthew McConaughey’s performance as Cooper. McConaughey’s performance is very convincing, with a charm that’s hard to hate and emotional reactions that are easy to believe. The rest of the cast also does a decent job: Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain’s roles as emotional support for Cooper are incredible.

However, Interstellar’s pacing and plot can be very unfocused and uneven. This can be attributed to Nolan’s unsubtle handling of the film’s central theme: love. In Interstellar, love is a completely human emotion that allows our protagonists to achieve the impossible when all else has failed and everyone else has given up. This idea sounds fine on paper, but in practice Interstellar often misses the mark. As an example, one scene has Hathaway’s character giving a speech about how love will help the characters. This scene feels less like natural dialogue and more like the movie hammering it’s purpose towards the viewers’ heads.

The plot of Interstellar isn’t awful, in fact, it’s pretty amazing and better than the average CGI blockbuster film. But Interstellar isn’t a masterpiece. The film often decides to do the audience’s thinking for them and holds their hands instead of treating them as adults. As a result, Interstellar’s pacing is awkwardly disrupted by moments that serve nothing but to remind moviegoers what its message is.

Despite all the flaws of Interstellar, it still tells a story that is uplifting and in a way that doesn’t feel overdramatic or corny or that the filmmakers weren’t putting their souls into it. Sure, the film can often treat viewers like children with no concept of morality. However, Interstellar has a soul within it that makes it more meaningful than your average sci-fi film. Interstellar is a 7/10.