Why you should give Interstellar a second look

The latest Christopher Nolan was released today on Blu-Ray and DVD (time to update your setup, fellow geek) and I can’t wait to have my second viewing. While I patiently way for the UPS guy to deliver my copy, I thought it’d be nice to detail why you should probably watch this amazing film, if you haven’t already. If you have, just do it a second time for awareness’ sake.

I wish I had written a review back when Interstellar came out in theaters back in November, but the experience stunned me to the point where I couldn’t express properly how I felt about it. The movie was well received by critics and viewers alike, but some deemed the movie too pretentious to truly be a masterpiece. This is where I disagree; I like to think it had to be pretentious to work. Given the heavy subject matter, there is just no way the messages it tries to convey would feel modest, let alone the spectacular and self-proclaimed realistic rendering of interstellar travel.

First Planet Problems

We live in a world in crisis. It may not seem that way depending from where you are reading but war, pollution, racism, gender equality, poverty, religions, outdated social policies and many more issues are looming over us and unless drastic measures are taken they will most likely be our end. It’s sad to think this way but we have to be realistic; we are overusing non-renewable resources but economics prevent us from progressing to a new era of harmony with our home planet. We have the technology. We have the knowledge. We have the means. Yet we do nothing. I’ve covered this before. Where am I going with this?

Interstellar’s story revolves around the probability that our lack of proactivity will be our demise not through war, but through famine. Early on it is established agriculture was victim of human-made alterations to our ecosystem, slowly yet surely disabling mankind’s ability to feed itself. I’m no scientist but I found the scenario very interesting and no matter what; it made me think. I believe we need more entertainment that triggers such awareness. We could all benefit from humanity paying less attention to the Kardashians.

The Zimmer

An original soundtrack is made to empower the movie it was created for, and very few come this close to perfection like the Interstellar OST does. Hans Zimmer secluded himself while writing the music to really capture the sense of isolation omnipresent through the film, the emptiness of space.

Unfortunately its legendary-ness was too much for the Academy and while Zimmer was nominated for his outstanding work, he went home empty-handed. Snubbed by yet another hipster movie (don’t get me wrong I loved The Grand Budapest Hotel but best soundtrack? No fucking way).

Marko Steinberg made an incredible medley on Youtube. Give it a listen it’s worth it.

The Wormhole

I won’t reveal any spoilers here but I truly hope the presence of a wormhole in the plot of a movie named Interstellar isn’t a revelation for you at this point. But I digress.

This movie showcased stellar visuals (see what I did there?). I do not refer here to how technically advanced the CGI is, but how wormholes, suns and other space entities were not only artistically beautiful, but based off state-of-the-art knowledge. Chris Nolan worked in tandem with Caltech Physicist Kip Thorne to ensure the visuals matched our modern space physics with as few artistic interference as possible. Of course not everything makes sense when it comes to relativity but I would be out of my element to discuss this point, granted my lack of PhD.

The Package

I’m not one for in-box extravaganza but the Interstellar blu-ray release really packs quite a punch for feature lovers:

• The Science of Interstellar—Extended cut of the broadcast special.
• Plotting an Interstellar Journey—Discusses the film's origins, influences and narrative designs.
• Life on Cooper's Farm—Bringing Americana and the grounded nature of a farm to a sci-fi space movie.
• The Dust—Learn how cast and crew avoided sand blindness, and see how to create, and clean up after, a catastrophic dust storm.
• TARS and CASE—Designing and building these unique characters and how they were brought to life on set and in the film.
• Cosmic Sounds—The concepts, process, and recording of Hans Zimmer's unforgettable score.
• The Space Suits—A look at the design and build of the suits and helmets, and what it was like to wear them.
• The Endurance—Explore this massive set with a guided tour by production designer Nathan Crowley.
• Shooting in Iceland: Miller's Planet/Mann's Planet—Travel with the cast and crew to Iceland and see the challenges they faced in creating two vastly different worlds in one country.
• The Ranger and the Lander—A look at the other two spaceships in the film.
• Miniatures in Space—Marvel at the large-scale models used in the explosive docking sequence.
• The Simulation of Zero-G—Discover the various methods that the filmmakers used to create a zero gravity environment.
• Celestial Landmarks—Explore how the filmmakers used practical special effects informed by real scientific equations to give the illusion of real space travel for both the actors and the audience.
• Across All Dimensions and Time—A look at the concept and design of the Tesseract, which incorporated a practical set rather than a green screen.
• Final Thoughts—The cast and crew reflect back on their Interstellar experience.
• Theatrical Trailers
• For a limited time, the Blu-ray Combo Pack will also include an authentic, collectible Interstellar film cell from an original 70MM IMAX print of the film.

The Bottom Line

Interstellar is one hell of a movie. It’s underrated but it shouldn’t be. Don’t let the double-edged plot bother you. Don’t let the conscience-impaired hive mind dictate your opinion. Watch it again or for the first time, let its negative and positive messages flow through you. Think. Discuss your thoughts with your friends and family. Hug someone. Yell in frustration. Optimistically smile. Feel.

And never forget; love is the only thing that transcends time and space.