A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in an attempt to find a potentially habitable planet that will sustain humanity.

One of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year, the latest film from Christopher Nolan, ‘Interstellar‘ comes into cinemas with an intriguing premise, and a terrific cast led by man of the moment Matthew McConaughey. Coming off the back of the hugely acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy and ‘Inception‘, Nolan is one of the few directors in Hollywood these days trusted with a million dollar budget to spend on an original property, and it is put to excellent use throughout ‘Interstellar‘. Seeing the film in IMAX was a terrific experience, and the special effects are truly superb with the CGI seamlessly merging in on all of the film’s key locations.

The film is exposition heavy in the opening stages, setting up the film’s premise and introducing us to the key characters and the ‘science’ behind the central thrust of the movie. Set in the near future, the Earth is struggling to sustain humanity with a deadly virus wiping out most of the key crops our race need to survive, when it falls upon astronaut turned farmer Cooper (McConaughey) to unexpectedly stumble upon a secret NASA test site run by Professor Brand (Michael Caine). From this point onwards, the film turns into a thrilling piece of space exploration as Cooper and crew explore some astonishingly realised landscapes.

McConaughey anchors the film well, putting in another excellent performance, and the supporting performances are terrific from Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and one particular performer who shall remain nameless as it could be considered a spoiler. The film is clearly influenced from a great number of excellent sci-fi movies, and whilst the science may be questionable at times, the story is strong enough that it takes the audience with it. The film starts to lose its way a bit towards the end as it starts grasping for deeper meaning than necessary (in my opinion), and the complicated conclusion just feels a little bit too outlandish; in short it seems as if Nolan feels his script is more intelligent than it is.

Ultimately, at its very heart, this film succeeds because it roots its epic story in strong human drama. Despite the lofty ambitions and great importance of the film’s mission, the characters are well drawn, well acted and likable, and we feel for them on a personal level and not purely as plot levers. ‘Interstellar’ doesn’t always hit the heights it’s aiming for, but this is another ambitious epic from Christopher Nolan, and an intensely enjoyable movie going experience.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi, Bill Irwin, Josh Stewart, John Lithgow, Mackenzie Foy, Topher Grace, David Oyelowo and Ellen Burstyn

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/