Interstellar
2014, Legendary Pictures et al
Standing as perhaps one of the most brilliant, gifted filmmakers of our day, Christopher Nolan summoned all of this skills for what might be considered his masterwork. But the truth of it is, greatness is earned, not created, and while Interstellar is arguably a great film, the measure of its true worth lies in the hands of the audience. I'll confess that I really wanted to love Interstellar; from everything I'd read about it, I was certain it would quickly rise to my top five. Yet, quite unexpectedly, it fell short.
Interstellar suffers most from its patent attempt to achieve greatness by design: it simply tries too hard to impress. Every shot is an artfully-framed photograph. Every line of dialog is carefully worded and delivered with manifest conviction. Every special effect is lingered upon so that we may revel in the care and craftsmanship that went into its design and creation. Every scientific reference is explained thoroughly to ensure our acceptance, if not our comprehension. Most significantly, though, the endlessly analyzed and scrutinized philosophical concepts are so weighty they threaten to create a black hole and suck us all down into oblivion. I won't deny that I still enjoyed Interstellar immensely—the final scene I felt was perfection; I simply didn't love it as much as I'd expected to, or as much as Nolan seemingly expected me to.
DKS 12/17/17
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
