Review of Interstellar (2014) by Eilidh2 — 06 Nov 2014

I am not a Nolanite. Maybe I'm an anti-Nolanite. I have nothing but contempt for movies about comic book superheroes. I hated Inception. I went into this movie with enough baggage to get me thrown off a plane.

It was superb. It was mind-blowing. I'm old. I saw 2001 when it originally came out, when everybody who saw it, came out saying "WTF?" Then, people discovered watching 2001 while high - and everything fell into place!

During the (controversial) 3rd act, I was back in 2001 (and wondering where I left my bong years before..). I didn't really need to heighten the sensation though, Nolan bombarded the audience with son et lumieres and McConaughey bombarded the audience with the most beautifully wrought portrayal of abject desperation and unconditional love I've ever seen on screen.

It broke my heart and I'm cynical as hell. The screenplay was serviceable, the dialogue was atrocious (this is Nolan after all), but it didn't matter. The visuals made Gravity look like it was filmed on an IPhone. The performances? Even Anne Hathaway was fine. Jessica Chastain and Mackenzie Foy, I shall forever revere. But McConaughey? Good God, this man is working on a level unknown to other actors. Absolutely electrifying. Not the Oscar bait that the Academy usually rewards, I think a Nobel Prize is in order.

I never suspected a film would come along this year that could threaten my beloved Boyhood's hold on my heart, yet Interstellar comes perilously close.