Interstellar (2014) (Movie Review)

Dir: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathway
Dur: 2 hrs 45 mins
Genre: Sci-fi
PG: One swear word.
Rating: 8/10 

Space has always fascinated man. From time immemorial, man has looked up into the blackness of the night and gazed with awe at the stars. At some point the question may have arisen in his mind: “What is out there?” The urge to find an answer to this question has led to some of the most daring and brilliant discoveries mankind has ever known. Interstellar takes this inner desire and mixes it with a whole lot of imagination, creativity, exceptional visual animation and a bit of science to give us an ‘interstellar’ experience. The question of ‘are there other habitable worlds out there?’ is explored optimistically in the film but the science is still very raw.

The film offers a lot of food for thought besides creating philosophical and cosmological issues. Being a student of philosophy and cosmology I was intrigued by the film and inspired to give a thought to the cosmological possibilities and implications of the ideas put forth in the film. I confess that the depth of philosophical inquiry that the film inspires excited me and sparked interest into further research.


From the cinematographic point of view, the film isn’t very entertaining. There are dry spells, dizzying gyrations and morose tunes that form part of the film and give off a discouraging scent. I would look at the film as a carrier of ideas more than as a spectacle of entertainment. The film hardly gives any emotional satisfaction even though it has a fair amount of emotional content. The actors are fantastic, particularly Michael McConaghy. Anne Hatheway does play the supporting role well but the film turns out to be a one-man show of skill and talent. The film brings home some beautiful messages. One among them is faith will save you in the end. The kind of faith shown in the film may not be the most reliable but ‘faith’ in the religious sense of the term is surely the one thing that will save us from doom.  

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