Interstellar

Set in 2067 the earth is plagued by blight, famine, and dust storms so inhabitable that it is likely Joseph Cooper’s kids generation would be the last to survive on earth. Matthew Mcconaughey plays Joseph Cooper, an engineer and pilot turned farmer who has now been chose by “them” to lead a Lazarus mission into space to explore the options found for a new home planet. The crew also consists of 3 other humans (including Anne Hathaway) as well as 2 large rectangle military grade droids named TARS and CASE.  Once passing through the worm hole, and into another galaxy, Cooper and The Endurance crew arrive at 3 planets hoping to find the scientist who discovered them, so they can collect data to see if they can relocate human life there. The water planet (Miller) and stone planet (Mann, Matt Damon) are both unfit for mankind although one is more obvious than the other.  For a 3 hour film you remind engaged and on the edge of your seat the entire time; I actually think the ending is the weakest part and it’s still very touching. The movie does not shy away from intangible scientific concepts and theories, but rather uses them to embrace the complexity of the space time continuum which we most significantly see as the dimension built out of physical time.  The entire movie is incredibly emotional and raw. Doyle dying on Miller’s planet despite making in back to the ship first. Brand making a mistake trying to save data, ultimately costing the crew unsalvageable time. What felt like minutes watching, felt like hours to the characters, that was years to the world. 23 years, 4 months, 8 days. Cooper coming back to watch messages from his kids is so raw, you can see the emotion just draining out of him endlessly. “Where we would bury you if you come back.” Murph never making a video until she was the same age that Cooper was when he left. Professor Brand never planning to rescue the humanity left of Earth. Mann trying to kill Cooper to prevent anyone from allowing him to save himself and not carry out the mission. Cooper detaching and staying behind to propel Brand towards Edmunds planet. The hand hold and the bookcase. Theres an incredible amounts of complexity to the plot with multiple different climaxes which is uniquely done. By far the most plentiful amount of impactful quotes in any movie I’ve watched up until this one.  Black Hole: The foreshadowing of Cooper being Murph’s ghost as the books fall, or rather are pushed, off the bookcase is incredibly heartfelt. It really highlights how intelligent Murph’s character is. Cooper realizing that they as humans brought themselves there rather than an omnipotent power did not allow him to fix the past (STAY), but rather steer the direction of the future. “They didn’t choose me, they chose her to save the world.” Murph realizing Cooper was her ghost is standing in front of the bookcase is one of the best scenes in the movie. The black hole is one of the most fascinating concepts in the entire movie: the physical manifestation of time. The idea of age bending around time is explored interestingly as well: murph being older than Cooper.  The shots of outer space are unbelievable; it feels like you’re floating through space with the astronauts so much so that you almost forget that you’re on earth. The snippets of the spinning background through the small plane windows is fantastically done. This movie understands light very well from outer space to the reflections on the helmet visors. The transition through the worm hole into the next galaxy is phenomenally seamless; your can almost feel the G forces as the warping atmosphere settles back out into deep flat darkness.  This movie also utilizes sound in an incredibly powerful way. The interstellar theme song is chilling, but inspiring in an out of body way. There’s a heart beat through many shots to build tension. The silence after Dr. Mann blows up the air chamber is chillingly accurate to what we know about sound not being heard in space. Knowing when not to use sound is very powerful in this film.  Humans are Tiny: Looking at the sky as if you can see through to space projecting where the rocket is and how close they are to a planet we could never dream of seeing with our own two human eyes is humbling; we are insignificantly small compared to the rest of the universe. Quotes: “Murphys law doesn’t mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen.” “We’re not meant to save the earth, we’re meant to leave it” “Don’t trust the right thing for the wrong reason” “Mankind was born on earth, it was never meant to die here” “Do not go gentle into that good night. Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.“ “Need to think of time as a resource” “You have literally raised me from the dead” ”Lazarus” “Our survival instinct is our single greatest source of inspiration”  "You Might Have To Decide Between Seeing Your Children Again And The Future Of The Human Race." "Once You’re A Parent, You’re The Ghost Of Your Children’s Future." "We Used To Look Up At The Sky And Wonder At Our Place In The Stars. Now, We Just Look Down And Worry About Our Place In The Dirt." "Love Is The One Thing We're Capable Of Perceiving That Transcends Dimensions Of Time And Space."