CONTEXT NOTE:

Topic: Film review of Interstellar in the style of popular film review site Rotten
Tomatoes.

Audience: Mainly American males in their 20’s, but online film reviews do have a very
broad audience demographically, so I will make it accessible to any potential reader.

Persona: Professional/Technical while still being accessible to a general audience that is

not necessarily educated on this specific film or in film language in general.

Purpose: To inform a general audience about the film Interstellar, from empirical facts
about the film and plot, to a critique of the film which is meant to help the reader decide
whether or not to see the movie. Some readers will have already seen the movie, and will
benefit from the review by hearing a different perspective on the film. I made sure not to
put any spoilers in the review, which allows any reader to remain interested and
captivated.

- Jackson Hyland-Lipski
 INTERSTELLAR
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Christopher Nolan & Jonathan Nolan

SYNOPSIS:

With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team

of explorers undertakes the most important
mission in human history; traveling beyond this
galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future
among the stars. © Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi

In Theaters: November 7, 2014 (Wide)
Box Office: $120.9M
Runtime: 2 hr. 49 min. (169 min.)
Rating: PG-13
Production: Paramount Pictures
Audience Score: 87% (4.2/5)
CAST:
Critic Score: 74% (7.4/10)
Matthew McConaughey as Cooper
SCREENSHOTS:
Anne Hathaway as Amelia Brand

Jessica Chastain as adult Murph

Mackenzie Foy as child Murph

Michael Caine as Professor Brand

Timothée Chalamet as child Tom

Casey Affleck as adult Tom

Matt Damon as Dr. Mann

John Lithgow as Donald

Topher Grace as Getty

Bill Irwin as TARS

 REVIEW: much smaller and covert formation of
NASA to pilot a spacecraft in search of
I first read about the film Interstellar in potentially habitable planets that are
early 2013, when it was announced that only accessible through a newly
for production they were carving out the manifested wormhole in our solar
nose of a jet-plane, placing an IMAX system. Professor Brand’s daughter
camera in the nose, and flying it around Amelia (played by Anne Hathaway)
to create realistic imagery for sky scenes. accompanies Cooper along with two
I closely followed the film’s production other astronauts on this journey,
after this, and awaited its release with becoming a key figure in the developing
great excitement. plot.

Interstellar, directed by Christopher After a long introduction, the film

Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight brings us to outer space, where most of
Trilogy) takes place in the near future, the remaining scenes take place. This
when an environmental disaster known setting is only left when the characters
as “Blight” threatens all natural food land on new worlds or in brief scenes
sources on Earth. Mankind’s new and flashbacks from Earth. Nolan is able
necessary lifestyle focuses on survival and to seamlessly mix the intimacy and
concentrating government resources comfort of home, being Earth, with the
towards agriculture. Their volatile vastness, beauty, and inescapable
situation results in a lack of funding for loneliness of deep space – both visually
seemingly superfluous technologies such and audibly. After a while, the two
as space exploration and other realities of the film seem to unify,
technological developments that were evoking a sense of singularity felt by
seen as unessential. This is an unsettling both the audience and the main
and unfulfilling reality for Interstellar’s characters. In one brief scene, we see the
main character, Cooper (played by spaceship passing by an immense and
Matthew McConaughey), who as an ex- intimidating Saturn, while the only
NASA pilot, was forced to become a sounds are of crickets, rushing water,
corn farmer – a more productive and and leaves rustling – noises heard on one
socially responsible occupation. A astronaut’s headset. This connection of
widower, Cooper lives with his father in spaces allows a wholeness to be achieved
law (played by John Lithgow) and two in the film. The dullness of Earth,
young children. His relationship to his uniformed by the layers of dust on every
like-minded daughter Murph proves to surface due to Blight, is enhanced and
be a pivotal factor in the narrative of this contrasted by the stunning landscapes of
film. So much important plot material is outer space and foreign planets. This
constantly occurring, which makes it device allows the audience to feel more
difficult to not give away any spoilers – connected to space due to the diegetic
however, I will do my best. relationship between the unknown and
the universally known.
After meeting with Professor Brand
(played by Michael Caine), Matthew Seeing these scenes in IMAX is
McConaughey’s character is chosen by a unquestionably spectacular, as if the
audience is experiencing these Gravity (directed by Alfonso Cuarón),
discoveries first-hand. However, possibly another contemporary space blockbuster,
due to a mistake in the theater or an the scenes in Interstellar were accurately
unfortunate conscious decision, the silent when in space. This overbearing
screen dimensions changed on numerous silence added to the isolation felt in
occasions. For most of the film, the many of the space scenes – a feeling that
screen had a black border on every side. was lacking in Gravity due to the loud
However, during many space scenes, the noises and tense music.
screen was larger – the black boarders on
the top and bottom disappeared. This Also, while 2001: A Space Odyssey is able
may be because of the dimensions of the to use time and patience to its
IMAX camera, which was only used in advantage, Interstellar is unforgivably
some shots. This subtracted from the fast-paced, feeling as though there is a
beauty of the non-IMAX shots, which constant doomsday timer, ticking down
seemed smaller and blurrier in to zero every chance it gets. While this
comparison. It created a dichotomy makes the movie an exciting experience,
between space and Earth, in opposition it doesn’t allow the audience to find the
to the intended sentiments of the film importance of specific scenes and
and lessened the impact and awe of moments, making the film monotonous
many scenes. Whether intentional or in its persistent adrenaline-fueled plot.
not, it was a very distracting effect, and So if you are in the mood to be visually
hopefully was an error specific to the stunned, question your perception of
theater. time and space, and feel mildly humbled
afterward, you should see Interstellar
Whereas many are comparing Interstellar before it leaves theaters and
to Stanley Kubrick’s all-encompassing consequently loses its main appeal.
film 2001: A Space Odyssey, I believe it
was quite contrary in many respects. - Jackson Hyland-Lipski
Rather than focusing on existence,
mankind, and discovery, Interstellar
focused on personal relationships and
individual identity, guised by an
adventurous plot and immense graphics.
In terms of music, there were many
scenes in Interstellar in which the film
scorer, Hans Zimmer, seemed to
attempt channeling the classical and
ambitious sentiment of 2001 without
being fully capable of the same
emotional magnitude. Many scenes were
diminished by Zimmer’s eerie score that
would have been more appropriate for a
horror film. However, the sound
(besides the score) was very captivating
and visually complimentary. Unlike in