INTERSTELLAR Review: We've just forgotten that we are still pioneers. And we've barely begun.

“Man’s grasp exceeds his imagination…..”

                                                             - The Prestige, 2006

How rightfully so, ain’t it? And when it is Christopher Nolan I’m talking about, I couldn’t rope in another more fitting line to begin describing his inconceivable genius which yet again resurfaced in full glory through his latest and most awaited directorial, Interstellar.…So here I begin quoting his film to him.. Not only has he proved to be one of the most imaginative auteurs living, but also a prodigious filmmaker whose unbending determination to achieve the best results exceeds his passionate imagination.  It’s been over a couple of days since I watched Interstellar and those who have embarked on this extravagant intergalactic journey of a lifetime, will nod with me in unison that it is not quite like anything we have experienced before on silver screen. It was indeed a journey- an inexplicable, colossal, celestial yet very humane one… To jot down in words how it must have felt watching it is like asking about the experience on the roller coaster to a person who has never been on one.

[Blogger’s Note: Contains no spoilers.. ]

While the World Wide Web is flooding with mechanical reviews that are solely concerned with the science and technicalities of Interstellar, I won’t deny myself any opportunity of lauding the film that was even beyond the definition of a cinematic masterpiece. This is not exactly a generic review cause I don’t think a film like Interstellar which does not resemble the conventional designation of being called a film, can be even reviewed. Or better to put it that I don’t think I am competent enough to assess it. Instead consider this is as a memo of a person who has been fortunate enough to watch this epic by Nolan and this is merely a modest attempt to vocalize her feels with those souls who have also shared the analogous “Interstellar” experience.

This shouldn't come as a disclaimer that I am a huge Nolanite, i.e. a devout fanatic of Christopher Nolan’s works and as far as my memory serves, I have spent a greater phase of my life as a movie-enthusiast simply being in absolute awe with the films he makes. Even though I am not a sucker for sci-fis, but since Day 1 (some 2 and a half years ago) that production of Interstellar was announced, my excitement knew no bounds. As the countdown came dwindling and the release date came closer, all I could think and do was to make myriad of assumptions and theories of how exactly is Interstellar gonna be? How is it gonna be any further brilliant than “The Dark Knight” “Inception” or “Memento” or how is it gonna blow our minds in ways that no adventure film ever has. But I was wholly contended when all my inquisitiveness met its closure as this space epic progressed. I could feel the adrenaline racing, jaws dropping involuntarily and the mind being blown to distant lands and I continued feeling so after the end credits rolled. Somehow a part of me got chipped into the film that refused to come back even long after the film ended. I was left speechless. I was dumb-struck. LITERALLY. It felt like I was having a revelation which seemed subtle at first and before it can be realized fully, it hit me like a speeding truck. Fast and hard. I have never been zoned out like this before after seeing a movie and I was teared down between two emotions- inestimable wonder and overwhelming praise.

This intergalactic expedition that Interstellar takes us into comprises of black holes, worm holes, alternate galaxies, time dilution but more than all of that it is the subtexts of love, relationships, compassion and bonding that truly makes the film so incomparably remarkable. Below the surface of advanced space science and time loops, there’s a deep bedrock humanity that drives the thematic flow of the film. The film begins as a desperate father’s pursuit to save an apocalyptic world and be reunited with his daughter and ends on a note that rightfully underlines that how individual bonds can bring together an entire species and when pushed to the most catastrophic and extraordinary situations, that we can truly evolve. Interstellar advocates, like almost all other Nolan movies that hope no matter how unlikely it is, can never be futile. It reflects the very core of Nolan’s definitive vision- his undying optimism. With a robust screenplay, visually stunning execution, topnotch narrative and a fitting star cast, Interstellar is a portal to an avant-garde and never-seen-before style of film-making that will be hailed even fifty years from now. Nolan, who strongly detests digital filmmaking and especially 3D format, goes to undreamed of  lengths to makes sure that the real locations resemble anything but worldly. It’s not surprising if you too have exclaimed, “Is this even shot on earth!” quite a few times while watching the film. The director seems to be a man of the next century living in the existing one. His thinking is too legendary and refined for everyone to grasp it. As harsh it might sound, but bottom-line, “A Christopher Nolan film” is just quite not the forte for everyone’ brain.

Not since Kubrick’s 2001, A Space Odyssey that a space saga has been so breathtakingly beautiful as Nolan’s Interstellar has. It is an ode to the human mettle which is indestructible even at the face of an extreme crisis.. Not only does it establishes that love transcends time and space but also heralds that it is only when we are compelled to fight the inevitable, that we realize that we are stronger than we ever thought ourselves to be. It beautifully recounts the notion that Science when advances beyond its potential, can be identical to magic and be something so mammoth in extent that it no longer resembles science. And that is when we are taken by surprise, and think beyond the ‘earthly’ definition of all things. The climax shoves a massive blow in the gut but simultaneously we are also filled with a greater sense of belief in our existence and ‘the world as we know it’. We are the miracle, and we can realize it only when we stopped looking for one. It is this strong psychological, philosophical and emotive footing that truly puts Interstellar galaxies ahead of its contemporary science-fiction.

A prodigious directing by Nolan is justly complimented by breathtaking cinematography, outstanding performances by a dazzling cast ensemble, especially Matthew McConaughey who inarguably takes the cookie away. He breathes so much conviction in portraying Cooper that all throughout the runtime, he is inseparable from his character. Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain also execute considerable justice to their respective characters and it is again commendable of Nolan and the casting director for using actors like Wes Bentley, Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in brief but significant roles. And last but not the least; it is the soul-lifting and towering music of Hans Zimmer which serves as a devoted companion to intensifying the feels of the film.

Interstellar is the ultimate out-of-body experience that can only be felt and realized but rarely vocalized. It is not just a must-watch, but worth a dozen rewatches. Nothing we ever knew will ever be the same once you are done watching.. It pumps up your heartbeat, disbands the mind, leaves you speechless and goosebumped, overturns the conservative order of things, ideas and fallacies but at the same time sustains our faith, and gears us up to believe in the good. So to sum it up, I will quote a friend who described her Interstellar experience as, “It’s like we went into a black hole and came back wiser and happier…” Exactly that.

It’s been an honor watching Interstellar, the most surreal cinematic affair of probably this century and to actually live in a world where Nolan makes movies.

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.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night......