Sunday, November 30, 2014

3 Thoughts on Interstellar



1. The ambition - I will never understand how anyone can criticize a movie like this for its "science fiction" not being "realistic". For me, if a movie builds a world and sticks to the rules of that world, then the so-called plot holes do not exist. I would much rather a story-teller imagine and create something new and not worry about certain realistic logistics, than re-tell me a boring, safe, scientifically accurate story. Plus, there are so many things we don't know yet, about space, time-travel, black holes, other dimensions etc., how can we criticize a movie for not being accurate, when we are still learning the intricacies of the universe? The only thing I would criticize the movie for is the acting - I'm a fan of Anne Hathaway, but she was not good in this movie. It wasn't just her, though. There was something off about all of the acting, except with Jessica Chastain - she's fantastic. Although, I don't see it as a movie that relies that much on acting. I mean, none of the acting was terrible or anything; it just wasn't as spectacular as the rest of the movie. Interstellar may well be my favorite Nolan film (I've liked all of them, to some degree). It's thrilling, intellectual, epic, and bold. Like whoa.

2. The surprises - *Do not read if you haven't seen it* - I don't know how, but I managed to avoid everything about this movie. Never saw the trailer, never read any reviews and I changed the channel every time a commercial came on. The only information I knew was, who the 3 main stars were and I read a whole ton of twitter snark about the science behind it (but I never clicked on the articles). Going in blind for this movie, definitely enhanced my enjoyment. For one, I had NO IDEA about that mind-blowing surprise cameo. I'm not even going to spoil it; even though I prefaced this with a spoiler alert, but I think knowing that there is, in fact, a huge cameo, already ruins the surprise factor. I've read several articles, since watching the movie, that argue this character isn't necessary in the movie, but I say "WHAT?!" to that. His character is the catalyst for the end of the movie. Second, I knew it was a movie about people in space, but I had no idea why they were in space. The whole "Earth becoming uninhabitable" is a fantastic (and scarily realistic) idea for a movie. The beginning of the movie is so engaging; the idea that technology and science has ruined Earth - so much so, that text books have re-invented History to encourage the younger generation to become farmers?!? That's a crazy idea to digest. Like whoa.

3. The emotion - It's so hard to really describe or critique this movie, because it's all about the emotion behind it. As I watched it, I enjoyed the story, and was dazzled by the special effects. Then I went home and bawled my eyes out. It's such a "big idea" movie, that I didn't really connect with it emotionally while watching it. It wasn't until I absorbed all of the information and personalized the theories that are presented, that I really "got it". Behind all of the space travel, adorable robots, and surreal images, the movie is really about this untouchable, mysterious idea of  "destiny". I think I cried so much because it reinforced my theory about "gut feelings". Sometimes, I just "know" when something is right; like everything in my life has led me to this moment. What if this "gut feeling" is another dimension "me", leading me in the right direction? Isn't that just overwhelmingly uplifting and emotional to think about? Like whoa.

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