Interstellar

Interstellar

Rated PG-13 and Released 11/7/14

Reviewed 11/8/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Gary

2 1/2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

After taking a few months off (still seeing movies, just not reviewing), I am back at it! I chose to start with big buzz sci-fi Interstellar and it's a long one at 169 minutes. In spite of the length, Gary and I still thought it kept our interest to the end. It's no Gravity though, as that was jammed with excitement in an hour and a half. This story is much more than a typical science fiction with lots of attention to detail and the focus on the bond between father and daughter. With the sometimes slowish plot, they could have cut out a good half hour and it would have been an improvement. Matthew McConaughey does a fine job playing Cooper but he is really more convincing as the farmer than the astronaut.

The widower Cooper is raising two children (daughter Murph and older brother Tom) in a post-apocalyptic Earth. For some reason the planet is being consumed by dust. The crops are dying out and instead of finding a solution to save the population from starving, scientists believe the answer is not only in outer space but a different solar system altogether.

This sets up some outlandish space travel for Cooper and a couple of other astronauts including Dr. Brand (Anne Hathaway). Cooper's crew decides to "beat" space travel by journeying through a galactic wormhole. One improper decision can cause dire consequences for the voyagers, and everyone back at home, which does make for some excitement.

While they are out exploring the planet options for the survival of mankind, Dr. Brand's father (Michael Caine) remains on Earth at a top secret NASA location mysteriously trying to solve gravity with some heavy duty physics. Yes the improbability is expected over and over, but this is science fiction after all. However without spoiling too much, I wish they would have gone in a different direction with the conclusion. See it for yourself and decide. IMAX is recommended, but realizing you have to carve out about 3+ hours out of your day you might decide it's worth waiting this one out.

QUIET Rating system: 2 1/2 Js

Quality: JJJJ

Understood story:  JJj

Interest: JJJj

Entertainment:  JJj

Time:  J