Nolan’s stellar new film

Director Christopher Nolan continues to explore poorly understood planes of existence, this time through a space epic. Interstellar presents the worst fear of environmentalists: a starving Earth with hopeless inhabitants. The task of trudging through the unknown depths of space in order to save humanity is left to a top-secret NASA organization.

Nolan has an all-star cast on hand, including Matthew McConaughey, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Jessica Chastain, and Topher Grace, as well as his regulars Michael Caine and Anne Hathaway. Audiences get to witness strong performances from an A-list cast who show emotional depth and express some of our biggest hopes and fears.

McConaughey stars as Coop, an overqualified farmer chosen to achieve the human race’s last hope of finding a new home among the stars. In order to do this, Coop reluctantly leaves behind his two children and shoots off into space with a small team of astronauts and a highly advanced but totally humorous slab-shaped robot (who reminded me a lot of R2-D2). Together they navigate galaxies and explore planets, black holes, and wormholes in search of a habitable world. However, other dangers confront them than unknown space. In an allusion to the idea that space travel could be so fast that time would pass much more slowly relative to its pace on earth, the team needs to race for a solution before the planet and everyone they left behind on it perishes.

Interstellar is overflowing with beautiful panoramas of space and undiscovered planets—wondrous settings consisting of waves the size of mountains and glacial ice clouds that hang weightlessly in the skies. The sharp special effects and the accompanying soundtrack by the excellent Hans Zimmer suit the exciting tension of the entire film.

Nolan ambitiously addresses topics such as time and space, theories of relativity and gravity, the responsibility of parents to their children, and our own desperation to survive. He applies his signature touch to each one and offers a creative yet believable take on them.

Interstellar keeps us on our toes. Throughout the film, we experience a beautifully scenic rollercoaster from faith and triumph to despair and pain. Nolan has created an epic that will stand next to his other greats. MMMM ½