Interstellar

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar follows Matthew McConaughey’s Joseph Cooper as he and a team of explorers, including Anne Hathaway’s Brand, embark on a journey into space to save the human race from extinction. Filmmaker Nolan, working from a screenplay written with Jonathan Nolan, delivers an often insanely ambitious science fiction epic that that remains mesmerizing for most of its (admittedly overlong) running time, as the movie, which kicks off with an intriguing, earth-bound opening stretch, boasts a progressively captivating atmosphere that’s perpetuated and heightened by Nolan’s typically (and intensely) cinematic sensibilities – with this vibe enhanced by Hoyte Van Hoytema’s eye-popping photography and Hans Zimmer’s moody, hypnotic score. It’s clear, too, that the picture benefits substantially from its confusing yet rewarding narrative and uniformly captivating assortment of performances, and although it could almost certainly stand to be a little shorter, Interstellar‘s ongoing reliance on often stunningly enthralling sequences, including a spellbinding trip to a water-logged planet, an emotionally-draining scene wherein Cooper watches decades of personal family messages, etc, etc, cumulatively transform the whole thing into a persistently engrossing and flat-out masterful piece of work – which cements its place as one of Nolan’s very best movies and, as well, one of the most accomplished sci-fi endeavors ever produced by Hollywood.

**** out of ****