- Brand
If you live in the same world that I do than you have read dozens of reviews of this film, each more contradictory than the last. You've seen the word "incomprehensible" thrown around in the same paragraph as the phrase "too logical." "Overlong" right next to "doesn't hold his shots long enough," "devoid of wonder" right next to "thought provoking." The reviews themselves are paradoxes, but with a premise this universal and a movie this hyped it's no wonder.
So let's dive in and figure out why there's all this contradiction. Starting with character. Interstellar might look like a story-driven film, but deep down it's character-driven. So a great question here is: are the characters well-defined or flat? Read any review of this film and you'll be barraged with the answer to this question: they are 1-dimensional, cardboard, uninteresting, pick your adjective. And it's true, but...
Archetypal characters really work in sci-fi epics. There's just enough of a motivation and a perspective for each character so that it's believable but not distracting. It's the most efficient way to get at the central questions that plague humanity, questions that sci-fi was created to ask.
"Don't judge me," Mann says, "you were never tested like I was. Few men have been." Is every person capable of evil? Do we love only to survive? These are great questions, illustrated well in this film by simplistic characters. The only problem is that Nolan sometimes goes about asking these questions in a lengthy and mathematical-sounding way. To some it may sound insincere, condescending, even offensive. Like, "how dare you reduce my humanity, all my love and my beliefs down to ones and zeroes?" And I get this reaction.
The thing is, science tells us we are nothing more than biological machines. Maybe there is an equation for everything...including love. How can we possibly know? Isn't it this film's job to ask this question? Sure it sounds sappy on the surface when Brand says "maybe love is a universal constant," but I'd argue that stems from a mis-interpretation. Was her speil a little forced? Yeah. But that's the only issue with it.
All of this was to illustrate that, setting aside science for a second, the film doesn't really stumble on any thematic level. In fact, when these themes are set against the backdrop of this film...
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And this happening... |
That's why I hate, hate what I'm about to say. Because nothing with so much potential should be ruined by such a startling lack of common sense. There is a great movie within Interstellar, but the one thing that's covering it up: the editing. It makes me so mad.
This is not Inception. There are not multiple storylines on one ticking clock, i.e. a structure that warrants cross-cutting. In fact, Interstellar's story should repel cross cutting. There is a ticking clock, but as much as the characters are preoccupied by it for a time, it ends up mattering dittly-squat. This film explores 5th dimensional travel for christ-sakes. This means that time really shouldn't matter near the end, and the audience should feel it. Case in point: when Cooper falls into the black hole, when his ship is surfing a sea of galaxies, when sparks start to fly out of the blackness and Cooper is about to experience something no man has or will ever see, the film cuts away to Tom and Murph.........for 10 seconds.
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Pictured: my evaporating sense of wonder |
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It makes me want to cry dusty, manly McConaughey tears. |
Maybe a little more (film) theory would have done Interstellar a lot of good.
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Edit 1: Here's this article that pokes a lot of holes in the film's science. Please note the author's misuse of the word "plot hole." These are actually nit-picks, factual errors, albeit large ones that can tear the film apart if you let them. In my opinion, all of this outcry is due to the film's realistic tone and sense of grandeur, and has nothing to do with a demand for true-to-life science in movies, but oh well. If you're into that kind of thing then it's worth a read.
Edit 2: I purposefully stayed away from the gender politics in this film because I don't feel super confident talking about it. Was going to link to something good when I found it, and I've found it.
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