Review of Interstellar (2014) by Mikewrites — 07 Nov 2014

*** spoilers ***.

While visually stunning, this is one of the most flawed films in recent memory. Flawed, because more time was spent rendering out the special effects than developing a screenplay worthy of the cast and budget. When you're a filmmaker who can make anything you want - on film - there is no excuse for your films to not bring something new to the table and work at a basic screenplay level.

Interstellar does not ask new questions and with a script that literally feels like a first draft --I'm just shocked that Nolan didn't develop this more. The entire core of this film is the relationship between our lead Cooper and his daughter - but this is so rushed and honestly, extremely cheesy, that we don't care what happens. They spend far too much in time in space - with a ridiculous plot involving Matt Damon - and cut back to Earth is sporadic cuts that pull us into so many directions. There is no focus in this film.

This film proves that the Nolan brothers can not handle a couple of things: writing females and writing emotional characters that we're attached to. The dialogue was laughable - over the top in many places - and basically just a ton of one-liners.

We cut from Cooper learning he has to go to space - says goodbye - boom on the rocket - NO ATTACHMENT. There is zero development here - just get him to space, which fails to tell the core story well - which bites this movie in its ass in the third act. There are countless films that do this way better - Apollo 13, Close Encounters (they don't even go to space there) - if you want the audience to care about your characters then you have to spend more time making them care - not as much with the science and pizzaz - and I know everyone will love this movie, but it's not just minor flaws here - it's gaping holes in both motivation and development.

Forced. Rushed. However you want to put it - I'm sorry folks - it's not a great movie - not even a good one. Everything is spoon fed to the audience - no, not just the science - the twists - I didn't know on the nose screen writing was so acceptable in Hollywood - guess it is. They talk about ghosts so many times within the first act that anyone with half a brain KNEW there was something there - and if you know anything about space travel, black holes - or any of the stuff that is talked about in the trailers - you can put two and two together and call the major twist in the FIRST ACT. I literally turned to my girlfriend and called it - as did the other 5 people we were with...

And yes - I understood all the underlying themes and motifs he was playing with - love/gravity etc - but it wasn't enough to save a script where the characters aren't given room to breath.