Interstellar

By MARVIN SHIM and KEVIN THANT

The grand beauty of our universe and the guilt of parenthood are the backdrop for a quest to save humanity. Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan, chronicles the journey of the crew of the Endurance, hurled light years from everything that they love to search for colonizable worlds. Nolan’s Interstellar is not a science fiction epic—it’s a movie about family and humanity with science fiction as its backdrop.

Cooper, a former NASA pilot turned corn farmer, and a team of astronauts are sent by NASA and physicist Professor Brand into space to search for a new home for Earth’s population, who face a global Dust Bowl that gradually destroys the planet. Slingshotted through a wormhole near Saturn, the team is left vulnerable to the unknown dangers of space and their discovered worlds. The state-of-the-art science fiction landscapes and outer-space action sequences are complemented by Nolan’s underlying message of sacrifice, family, and dreams.

There is a constant conflict between duty to mankind and duty to family. Cooper is heartbroken after he realizes he has lost decades with his daughter despite promises to come back. The transmissions from his family grow scarcer as they lose faith in him still being alive deep in outer space.

The visual effects are first-class. Like every Nolan movie, we are wowed by his impressive use of cinematography, especially in portraying complex landscapes and viewers. Alongside stunning visuals, Hans Zimmer, perhaps the greatest film composer of our time, gave us a soundtrack that perfectly heightens every emotion that we’ll feel in the film. 

This film remains special partly because of its beautiful visual effects and soundtrack. While many high-budget science fiction films have that, Interstellar sets itself apart. Nolan once again shows his masterpiece and trademark. He takes a scenario that seems so far away but utilizes human nature to capture our hearts.

Unlike other science fiction films, which all had us on the edge of our seats about the stakes of the universe and mankind, the relationship between Cooper and his daughter takes the forefront in this film. 

There’s no point in a movie if the stakes are the loss of a world we have no emotional investment in. But the introduction of a father trying to get back to his daughter, who never gave up on him, makes us so much more invested. 

Great characters and relationships are nothing without proper execution. Matthew McCougnahey pulls off a masterful performance. His dry wit, mixed with his masterful use of emotions, really shines in moments when he misses his daughter Murph. Michael Caine and Matt Damon are also perfect for their roles, showing the stretches and sacrifices that humans will go to.

At its foundation, Interstellar features the story of a family haunted by the loss of their parents, a daughter haunted by her father, and a father driven to reunite with his loved ones. Humanity will go to infinite depths to save itself, even through black holes. But Interstellar teaches us that even despite the grand wonders of our universe and outer space, in all its infinite beauty, the comfort of home is what we really need.