Popular Post John 2,032 Posted November 29, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 29, 2018 After a recent rewatch, I have decided to write a full-length review of this film. Interstellar (2014), directed by Christopher Nolan. This may be my favorite Nolan film. It is a unique part of his filmography, in that it's really his only film that seems have a genuine emotional core. On a purely visual level, Interstellar is a spectacle of the highest order. Many of the special effects used in the film were made by practical means, and with little CGI work, and it shows. 5 years later, the film hasn't aged at all, and I suspect it will be many years from now before the film's VFX begins to show signs of dating. There are multiple scenes/sequences throughout that are absolutely breathtaking examples of the magic of cinema and what it can accomplish. The score by Hans Zimmer is a landmark in electronic film scoring, and, in my opinion, his magnum opus. There are times when I feel it is mixed a bit too loud, but overall I feel it greatly adds to the film. It's a richly textured, beautifully layered, often very minimalist work that adds to the sense of wonder and awe throughout. It's a score I feel will not be forgotten in a long time. The cast is very good. Matthew McConaughey delivers a great performance, one of his best, and the rest of the cast is quite likeable as well. The film borrows liberally from a better, wiser film; Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. From the monolith-like appearance of the TARS-series robots, to the black hole sequence towards the end of the film, to the way Nolan lets numerous awe-inspiring shots linger on the screen for just a few seconds more, allowing us to soak in the majesty of the cosmos; the DNA of Kubrick's masterpiece is deeply embedded in Interstellar (Nolan has on numerous occasions made his admiration for the film known). While the two sci-fi epics both have something to say about us as a species and our place in the universe, Interstellar's storytelling lies in a much smaller scale (the relationship between a man and his family) than 2001's (humanity's destiny). Interstellar gives us time to relate and sympathize with its main characters, while 2001 creates but one character with any type of personality or arc at all, who is not even human. Ultimately, the two films are very different, both in scope and ambition, despite bearing many obvious similarities. Final thoughts: I feel Interstellar requires multiple viewings in order to fully formulate a final opinion. That was certainly the case with me.The film is not flawless, not by a long shot. It doesn't have much subtlety, and the long stretches of exposition often become laborious. Nolan comes agonizing close to delivering something truly great, yet certain narrative choices and thematic confusion really limit the final product. But ultimately, it's a film you feel compelled to cheer for even as it stumbles, and one that I would ultimately recommend. **** out of ***** Cerebral Cortex, SteveMc and Chen G. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,306 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 On 11/29/2018 at 6:42 PM, John said: Interstellar gives us time to relate and sympathize with its main characters, while 2001 creates but one character with any type of personality or arc at all, who is not even human. That's a little harsh on David Bowman, don't you think? BTW, am I the only one who didn't sympathize with the characters of Interstellar? Or Inception? Or Dunkirk? Or Memento? Or The Dark Knight? I mean, not caring for the characters is almost a Nolan trademark for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 On 11/29/2018 at 6:42 PM, John said: Note: please don't quote me! I will be editing/revising this review as I see fit. Sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen G. 3,903 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 6 hours ago, Alexcremers said: am I the only one who didn't sympathize with the characters of Interstellar? Or Inception? Or Dunkirk? Or Memento? Or The Dark Knight? I mean, not caring for the characters is almost a Nolan trademark for me. Inception - definitely. Its just a heist film, and the characters are not only robbers, but they're one that invade other people's most inner of sancti. The film does try to form a connection with the characters, but ultimately its one I enjoy more for its spectacle than for its attempts at higher drama. Dunkirk doesn't have characters by design: they're shells into which the audience is meant to pour itself, which is certainly not unheard of as a cinematic ploy. Its a form of an audience surrogate, really, but one's milleage may vary. The Dark Knight is a tricky one, to me. Its certainly a more technically accomplished film than the other two Batman films, but its much more the superhero film. What I mean by that is that we spend the majority of the film with Batman, not with Bruce. As a result, one of my favorite dynamics of these films - that of Bruce and Alfred - kind of gets lost in the shuffle. Really, the relationship that rings most true in the film is the one between Rachel and Harvey, not Rachel and Bruce. I relate to the characters' predicament in Interstellar just fine. I'm told its all the more affecting for those with kids. It just needed to be a tad shorter, and much less wordy. Memento works because the non-linear progression of it brings the audience into the world of the character, even if he's not that good of a person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,306 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Well, I think it's fair to say that Nolan still has to make his first character driven movie. Except for his '"experimental' Dunkirk, all his movies strike me as very story-centered, to such a extent that the viewer is practically lost if he's not fully concentrated on the intricacies of the plot. Maybe the closest he ever got to making a character movie is The Prestige, which is also my favorite Nolan flick, but it's really a theme driven story about obsession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMc 2,674 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Batman Begins and The Dark Knight do seem to be good movies about characters swamped by circumstance and decisions. But, I will concede, Harvey Dent's sudden transformation, while not poorly set up per se, does betray a primary focus on the story over the characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John 2,032 Posted December 17, 2018 Author Share Posted December 17, 2018 I feel character development and relatability is a recurring issue with Nolan, which is probably why I am left cold by many of his films, particularly his Dark Knight trilogy. Hence why I found Interstellar's more fleshed-out leads refreshing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMc 2,674 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 It works for Bruce Wayne. He is dark and cold, 'cause that night in his childhood was dark and cold. For the other characters, save the Joker, it is a bit of a problem. But, the films are, at a basic level, about impersonal forces anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen G. 3,903 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 2 hours ago, Steve McQueen said: But, I will concede, Harvey Dent's sudden transformation, while not poorly set up per se, does betray a primary focus on the story over the characters. I wouldn't know about "betrayed" but there is something about Nolan's action filmmaking, which to me reads as a lack of confidence in his storytelling, where he feels compelled to pile multiple subplots one upon the other come the climax. It happens in the Dark Knight with Two-face, the Joker and the two ships all going down simultaneously; and it happens big-time in the Dark Knight Rises. Its the Return of the Jedi effect! 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Several subplots coming together, one feeding of the other is far from usual as a storytelling device. I guess that's basically what Dunkirk is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,450 Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Heck, even TMP had four different plot-strands, at its climax, and that's one more than ROTJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 I was expecting a CE3K experience. 😴 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 No such luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,306 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 13 hours ago, JoeinAR said: I was expecting a CE3K experience. 😴 You expected that while you knew it was a Nolan movie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 6 hours ago, Alexcremers said: You expected that while you knew it was a Nolan movie? I was a fool. But remember it was originally going to be a Spielberg film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,301 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 I think this movie lacks balls. It lacks balls visually, for example. Although it isn't obvious at first glance. Oomoog the Ecstatic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John 2,032 Posted December 21, 2018 Author Share Posted December 21, 2018 I thought the film looked good on a visual level, if nothing else. Chen G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Brónach said: I think this movie lacks balls. It lacks balls visually, for example. Although it isn't obvious at first glance. It felt like it was lacking balls while I was watching it. Nolan is just...too restrained. Oomoog the Ecstatic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,301 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 59 minutes ago, Stefancos said: It felt like it was lacking balls while I was watching it. Nolan is just...too restrained. I'm going to put the most obvious example. See the rotating black hole? It would look much trippier. Nolan wants the audience to understand that the event horizon is like a sphere, so he takes out the deformation we would observe on one side (like it's cutoff). And then they take out all the red on one side and all the blue on the other side... The other problem I have is the structure of the plot is endlessly unsatisfying to me. They take forever to take off, and then it goes in circles from planet to planet literally as the story doesn't make up its mind about what it wants at the other side. The devastation on Earth is also so restrained. They probably felt like they were being realistic, but I'm here thinking how all of the details about the ennvironment in Blade Runner 2049 are like a gut punch (that film is hard to watch). There's some dialogue elements there for it, but in Interstellar that's almost always the main source of information... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,306 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 29 minutes ago, Brónach said: There's some dialogue elements there for it, but in Interstellar that's almost always the main source of information... That's Nolan for ya. Chen G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 INTERSTELLAR: IN SPACE EVERYTHING IS SPELLED OUT FOR YOU! Chen G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 3 hours ago, Stefancos said: INTERSTELLAR: IN SPACE EVERYTHING IS SPELLED OUT FOR YOU! If it were a restaurant it would be Chipotle's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 I like Chipotle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 @John I don't want to quote you, but on the note of music: The volume fluctuations of the score are not all that bad. In fact, I quite like some of the more blaring and bombastic moments. The effectiveness of the score in the film is unbelievably good. And it's moments like that that call out and make it memorable for me, while the mellower cues provide a similar but different vibe that is just as resonant. Just a thought. And I love the organ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John 2,032 Posted December 22, 2018 Author Share Posted December 22, 2018 There are a handful of instances in the film where dialogue is barely audible in the soundtrack. It's a great, effective score, but often mixed overbearingly loud. Could definitely have been toned down a bit at times. Chen G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 8 hours ago, Stefancos said: I like Chipotle! I like it when I need a colon cleanse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 I will be sure to have Chipotle next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,306 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 11 hours ago, John said: There are a handful of instances in the film where dialogue is barely audible in the soundtrack. It's a great, effective score, but often mixed overbearingly loud. Could definitely have been toned down a bit at times. This, or Matthew McConaughey should speak up more clearly. BTW, isn't Christopher Nolan a Terence Malick fanatic? The balance between dialog and music was kind of problematic in The Tree Of Life as well. Maybe Nolan tried to make Interstellar with Malick in mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 The inaudible dialogue was done on purpose by Nolan, Alex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,306 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Because he loves Malick, right? Of course, Nolan will never put it like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen G. 3,903 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 6 hours ago, Alexcremers said: Because he loves Malick, right? Of course, Nolan will never put it like that. Nolan has actually been upfront with his inspirations taken from Malick. I believe his habit of cutting to a flashback without sound is explicitly and admittedly taken from The Thin Red Line. Brónach and A24 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 I agree that Interstellar lacks balls (although the interpretation of what that actually means I'm sure differs between us), however I thought the film as an original experience was terrific and refreshing, slightly overrated, but definitely a keeper for the hall of fame. Not as "stellar" as Memento or The Dark Knight, but much better than that "The Matrix wannabe" with that watanabe guy. Actually, turns out I made this post just to segue into The Matrix. Great film. Has anyone seen it? Oooh, what if Guy Pearce starred as Neo? Just... entertaining that thought. A thought experiment. Guy Pearce makes everything better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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