WHERE HEARTS AND MINDS COLLIDE IN A WOMRHOLE... "INTERSTELLAR"

Well this was a big one – in so many senses of the word! Not least because it was yours truely’s first ever IMAX experience! I did smirk slightly when the usher warned the audience to look away if they felt disoriented or sick – but I did actually feel quite sick during one portion of the film (although, ironically, telling you which bit would constitute a spoiler) and I felt as if my head was full of cotton wool for quite a while after the film… I still loved IMAX though… Especially with a highly visual film like Interstellar, it’s almost obligatory to have it either in 3D or in IMAX… I mean, there are some films (*cough* Gravity *cough*) whose entire USP is based on its visuals and being viewed with “advanced” technology. Interstellar’s aim is to be a bit more than a pretty face though. And Christopher Nolan being Christopher Nolan – the film has plenty to say for itself. Is it all coherent – I hear you ask – or does the film actually deserve the hashtag Interstellarplotholes Well…

In a dystopian world where “the system” has been destroyed and everyone have become farmers in a desperate attempt to  keep the world (and by that I mean the entire planet) from starving to death, Cooper, once an astronaut, is restless… His children have known nothing different but he remembers a world where mankind was adventurous and exploration of the final frontier was still on the cards… That is why he is delighted to happen upon a top secret space mission run by what remains of NASA and headed by Dr Brand Sr (Michael Caine) and his daughter (Ann Hathaway) Cooper gets the chance to return to his vocation, and possibly save the world while he is at it… However this is a mission like no other, Cooper is headed for truly uncharted waters and picking the new planet humanity is going to live on is a tricky business at best…

Now, this film has, you may have noticed, a huge number of fans. This is because the film is ambitious, incredibly ambitious, on so many fronts… First of all, visually… Well what can I tell you the film is a stunner… There are so many so called set pieces of space, the planets and (mild spoiler alert) the wonderful visuals of the galaxy beyond the wormhole and (major spoiler alert for like one sentence) the universe actually inside the worm hole (this is the point at which I started feeling nauseated by the way) are wonderful feats of technology and imagination. Best viewed with some form of HD, you will definitely be visually satisfied by Interstellar…

You will also be emotionally satisfied by it. Nolan produces quite a few very successful full-blown tugs at your heart strings. Even the toughest in my group welled up a couple of times during this one. I cannot state examples without giving spoilers as a lot of the most emotional moments come at crucial parts of the story – sort of jump cries as opposed to jump scares if you will…

But on the third hand (I appear to be an octopus for the purpose of this review) the film is also very, very cerebral. Nolan puts in a lot of science and a traditionally complicated storyline, successfully blending quantum physics, theory in a dystopian space context… Or I mean, does he really? This is where the hashtag Interstellarplotholes comes into play… Because Interstellar is a thing to be felt and enjoyed, sure… But if you start actually thinking about it seriously, holes begin to appear… I mean it starts from the smallest things – how, for example, in a world where purportedly nothing grows except corn, does mankind still have beer? How come Cooper never loses his tan for the duration of his “decades” in space? And – this is a big spoiler so look away now if you’re sensitive but I need to get this off my chest it’s a big pet peeve of mine  - why oh why oh why does this wormhole somehow magically end up behind a bookshelf? I mean I get the whole circular storyline thing, much like the Alchemist of Paulo Coelho we find the answer to the mystery we were searching for back where we began as it were but… I mean why of all things behind a book case?? I mean I get the importance of circularity. I really do. It’s the whole Humanist mindset of human beings “not needing any mysterious beings to take care of them”, that we and all the resources within ourselves are the only guides we’ll ever need if only we realize our own full potential. And I have to say, this is one of the more beautiful and intelligent ways I have seen of putting this message across. But I do wish Nolan had paid a bit more attention to the science as he went along. I mean I’m not even getting started on the fact that the only explanation we have of a wormhole is the same old folding a piece of paper thing every other sci-fi movie seems to do. Nolan either wants to mystify the viewer or, and I feel this may be the actual answer, this is not necessarily about “accurate science”. It’s a parable of love, humanity and life in a science fiction context and we should follow what our heart is picking up and not get “entangled” in the whole scientific context making sense to the “t”. Then again, it is the 21^st century and there are people out there who have made a bona fide hobby out of hunting for plot holes so I’m not entirely convinced this was the best way forward for this film if this was indeed what Nolan was after…

Whatever it was, true to form, we will very obviously be chatting about Interstellar for a good while yet… 

INCEPTION

Now, I don’t usually go in for “public crazes”. On principal. Something doesn’t necessarily have to be “popular” for me to enjoy it – in fact if it’s too popular, I tend to resist it. Take LOST for instance – never went near it. And now we know the end, I doubt I ever will. However, occasionally even I succumb to public opinion. Especially, if a film flies to NUMBER THREE in the imdb top 250 of best films ever – a list compiled based on public vote – within days of its release. I’m talking, as you probably have guessed, about Inception. Stories about the film started circulating in my hometown like wildfire – it became pretty obvious I had to go to the cinema and see it. And that is saying something – I hardly ever go to the cinema (my job is watching films - can you blame me for God’s sake?). I am still bowled over. It is some MIGHTY film…
Ok, so for the story. Now bare with me – it’s a complicated story, I’ve only seen the film once and it’s slightly hard to tell without giving away spoilers. But I will do my level best. Our hero is Dominc Cobb (Oscar ® nominee Leonardo Di Caprio – and Dominic Cobb is incidentally also the name of the lead character in director Chris Nolan’s first film). Dominc has an unusual talent. With the help of new “dream sharing” technology, sedatives and some talented colleagues he can infiltrate people’s dreams. Originally conceived as useful for military exercises, it is now an outlawed process, because the dream sharing has a “disadvantage”. Because once you’re sharing a dream with someone, you can have access to their thoughts and ideas. Gives corporate theft a whole new meaning, no? Dominc Cobb is the best of the best. The only problem is, he is also a wanted outlaw back in his home, the United States, so he cannot return. This may have been ok but Dominic has two small children back there, with their grandparents, waiting for their Daddy to come home. Then, Dominic is offered the chance of a lifetime. Mr. Saito is Oscar® Nominee Ken Watanabe. (The name may well mean nothing to you but you actually will recognize him – he was nominated for an Oscar® in his performance in Last Samurai. He was also one of the leads in Letters from Iwo Jima) a rich businessman makes him an offer he simply cannot refuse. One last job and if he succeeds, Saito will pull the necessary strings so Cobb can go home to his family. The only problem is the job he has to do may well not be possible. Inception: Planting an idea into a person’s mind instead of taking it. It actually sounds easy, but messing with the subconscious can be trickier than it first sounds. And I don’t mean in the therapeutic sense…
Inception is, as I said, a MIGHTY film – well worthy of a director with a legacy of mighty films (Don’t forget Mr. Nolan was nominated for an Oscar® as the director of The Dark Night). Leonardo Di Caprio, I feel, is like a wine maturing with time. He’s handsome of course, but I don’t mean that – he’s one hell of an actor and I am confirmed in that opinion every single time I see him in something. In fact, the acting is something to be mentioned quite seriously because the standard is quite high this time. And there are people I could not squeeze into the (already rather long) synopsis. For instance, Marion Cotillard. How can I possibly not mention Marion Cotillard for God’s sake she is one of my favourite actresses! Her role will become clearer when you watch the film but let me just tell you she executes it with utter brilliance. Another favorite of mine is a member of Dominic’s crew: Ellen Page. She was nominated for an Oscar® at a very tender age for her stunning performance in Juno (I reviewed this movie actually. Click right here). Trivia pages tell me that she was by no means the first choice and the favorite for the part was Evan Rachel Wood (who turned the part down). Great respect for Miss Wood but I honestly don’t know what Mr. Nolan was thinking – she is perfect in the part. Last of all, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as another crew member. You may or may not remember him from “500 days of summer” but I think he was awesome, I particularly enjoyed the performance.
I only have one slight criticism of the film. With such grand things such as the subconscious, dreams, etc. on the scene, Chris Nolan could actually have gone for a film with a lot more philosophical depth. I mean, the film is often called a Matrix knockoff (which is an insanely unfair comment) but then again, I can see why you would prefer the Matrix : It had a philosophy. It discussed things such as life, existence. I mean, sure, Inception is definitely a film to be watched again (Mr. Nolan’s aim apparently. Another big success on that score). The plot is very well constructed, it is intelligent and original. However, at the end of a day it’s a very intelligent, well acted Hollywood movie with absolutely SUPERB visual effects.
Nothing at all wrong with that, of course. Just some unused potential…