Movie Review: ‘Interstellar’ 3 out of 5 Stars
by Holly Woodland
Do not go gentle into that goodnight
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas’s poetic words are a central theme in “Interstellar” starring Matthew McConaughey (“Cooper”) and Anne Hathaway (“Amelia”). Director and writer Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) glimpses into the near future of the earth as dust covers the planet and unbeknownst to all, will lead to the eventual demise of sustaining human life. Existence has become cynical and predictable as we see Cooper (McConaughey) lectured by his daughter’s (Mackenzie Foy as young “Murph”) grade school teacher that the Apollo missions were only a U.S. deception and higher education is now limited to only a few. His former days as an astronaut are halted as farming is now determined to be his only pursuit.
McConaughey is masterful in his performance as a disillusioned father in conflict with wanting to save the human race by exploration of finding a new planet (from a secretly hidden space agency) while leaving his family behind. His decision takes him into the reaches of the universe while exploring his own humanity with a recurring theme of “Does love conquer all?” Other impressive performances include Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”) as his grown daughter (“Murph”) as well as Ellen Burstyn (old “Murph”) and Michael Cain (“Professor Brand”).
This “2001: A Space Odyssey” like film is intense in it’s scientific presentation as well as symbolism and can be difficult to follow at times, however some will find it (just as in Kubricks film) compelling to see more than once.
Interstellar Movie Trailer:
