I only go to the movie theaters about two or three times a year. Too many people rudely looking at their glowing phones in the dark; munching and slurping; and sharing their opinions of every scene for all to hear. So when I do go, I try to make sure it is a picture worth seeing. For me, one of the criteria that justifies plunking down $10 for a movie (plus $12 for a bag of popcorn and a soda - really?!) is whether there is a good movie out that I want to see on the big screen. Interstellar is such a movie.I had heard good things about Interstellar from an interesting cross section of commentators. They used terms like "difficult to describe" and "not even sure what the message was - but I liked it". Even so, I tried not to go into the movie with too many expectations, since that usually leads to disappointment.
The main takeaway for me about this movie is it made me think about big concepts. The human species; the universe; life on other planets; love. From the opening scene to the closing scene, I was transported from the smallest of elements, like dirt and corn fields, to the far reaches of scientific thought, like black holes and other dimensions. The film has been credited with trying to adhere to actual, present-day understanding of those latter topics. And I was impressed that Christopher Nolan (writer, director and producer) could have easily strayed into current controversies such as climate change and religion, but he did not. Likewise, given that the movie deals with the survival of the human species, it would not have been out of place to include some gratuitous procreation scenes between the stars, Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, but he did not.
Speaking of McConaughey, this guy is really starting to grow on me as an actor. I remember thinking I didn't care for him when I saw him ten years ago in things like Sahara. But with his recent performances in The Dallas Buyers Club and now Interstellar, among other good films, he seems to be on a meteoric rise.
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