MOVIE REVIEW- Interstellar

The new smash space travel hit, Interstellar is here, and is raking in the cash.

This is the latest epic from filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who gave us the latest Batman trilogy.  This stars Mathew McConoughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Micheal Caine.  Before you plop down one dime for a ticket for a regular showing, or IMAX, this is three hours long.  But Nolan is in love with making long movies, so this is not new territory.

Interstellar takes place in the near future. Earth is dying, as the climate has changed so much, that "blight" has taken over.  Crops are dying off one by one, and the 6 billion people of the world cannot feed themselves.  Also, the air is becoming toxic, as dust storms are the new rule.  Governments have become hugely social.  You are assigned a job by the government be it a engineer, or a farmer, etc.  In short, the country and the world is not a very nice place, as life as we know it today is over, and now it's simply survival.

NASA is the most secret agency there is, as no one knows that they still exist.  And they are looking for a solution to the problem.  They are looking for a new home for humans, as Earth is dying.  So, they are sending missions secretly to other galaxies to look.  Meet Cooper (McConaughey).  He is a former NASA astronaut who is chosen to go on one of these missions, to hopefully locate a new home, and some of the other crews from earlier missions.  Will they succeed?

Being honest, this movie is far too complicated to explain really well. It has a ton of special effects, and huge action scenes and that's all well and good.  But the real strength of this movie is the relationship between Cooper and his 10-year old daughter, Murph.  After all the bells and whistles have gone off, that's really what this is. A daddy/daughter movie.  Will he make it back home to his little girl, and when, if ever - will that be?

This movie is going to be a huge hit, with its cast, its maker, and its hype. And being fair, there is a lot to like here.  There are great moments of real excitement, and some compelling action. Plus, there are some really touching scenes with Cooper and Murph.  But, being honest again?  It's just all too much.  It's too long, to drawn out, too dramatic at times, to the point of silliness.  And most certainly, too fatiguing.  This is not a bad movie, but it takes on so many issues, and there is so much to digest, it all just blends together into a melted mush.

It's also another gloomy and bleak picture of our future here on earth.  And even though it's dressed up in pretty clothes made by a great designer, it's still paints an ugly, if not depressing picture of the not to distant future according to Hollywood.  And that is getting old really fast.

Interstellar. Great moments  - yes. But overall this is over the top.