Interstellar

While waiting for Christopher Nolan's hotly anticipated Tenet to arrive in cinemas, as the director refuses to let it go to PPV, there was still one of his big films still sitting patiently on my watchlist which was the 2014 sci-fi epic, Interstellar. I knew it was about saving the planet as the director's typically secretive trailers revealed and that the reception was not necessarily muted on release, it won plenty of awards and was a favourite among critics, but it lacked being the talking point that some of Nolan's other films still are today.

Parting ways with his long-time cinematographer, Wall Pfister who went onto making the rather dreadful Transcendence the same year, and with The Dark Knight trilogy having ended, Nolan's next passion project jumps far away from the world of superheroes and takes places in the near future. Earth's food supply is dwindling and Michael Caine's scientist believes the world is doomed and offers Matthew McConaughey the chance to fulfil live his life ambition in becoming an astronaut, and find a new suitable world to ensure humanity's survival.

Treading the line between theory and science-fiction, Interstellar is certainly Nolan's most ambitious film and will certainly divide audiences as enters uncharted territory which will test believability and suspension of disbelief. At the heart of it though is one of Nolan's most emotionally engaging films that is fearless in its ambition to tell a new story which is surely commendable. The cast all play their part brilliantly and Nolan's direction is flawless for the most part but there is just something, without spoilers, towards the end that held me back from liking it as much as Inception, The Dark Knight or Dunkirk.

Interstellar is everything I'd want from a Christopher Nolan film; it's a refreshingly different mainstream film that only he could make, the visuals and score are top-notch, and it will leave you with plenty to think about long after the credits. Yet somehow, in Nolan's ambition, the film stumbles in a few areas towards the end that hinder it from greatness. I'd still happily recommend watching Interstellar as we see Hollywood take a rare gamble on a new IP but it's not a film for everyone. However, if you can forgive these flaws, or just don't agree with them, then you are in for a treat.