Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

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Subtitles:

English (SDH), English, French, Spanish, none

Extras:

Blu-ray #1
• Feature film in high definition

Blu-ray #2
• The Science of Interstellar—Extended cut of the broadcast special (50:20)
• Plotting an Interstellar Journey—Discusses the film’s origins, influences and narrative designs (7:49)
• Life on Cooper’s Farm—Bringing Americana and the grounded nature of a farm to a sci-fi space movie (9:43)
• The Dust—Learn how cast and crew avoided sand blindness, and see how to create, and clean up after, a catastrophic dust storm (2:39)
• TARS and CASE—Designing and building these unique characters and how they were brought to life on set and in the film (9:27)
• Cosmic Sounds—The concepts, process, and recording of Hans Zimmer’s unforgettable score (13:40)
• The Space Suits—A look at the design and build of the suits and helmets, and what it was like to wear them (4:31)
• The Endurance—Explore this massive set with a guided tour by production designer Nathan Crowley (9:24)
• 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 (12:42)
• The Ranger and the Lander—A look at the other two spaceships in the film (12:20)
• Miniatures in Space—Marvel at the large-scale models used in the explosive docking sequence (5:29)
• The Simulation of Zero-G—Discover the various methods that the filmmakers used to create a zero gravity environment (5:31)
• 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 (13:22)
• 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 (9:02)
• Final Thoughts—The cast and crew reflect back on their Interstellar experience (6:02)
• Theatrical Trailers (Teaser - 1:53, Trailer 1- 2:34, Trailer 2 - 2:35, Trailer 3 - 2:29)

Like the great space epics of the past, Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” distills terrestrial anxieties and aspirations into a potent pop parable, a mirror of the mood down here on Earth. Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” blended the technological awe of the Apollo era with the trippy hopes and terrors of the Age of Aquarius. George Lucas’s first “Star Wars” trilogy, set not in the speculative future but in the imaginary past, answered the malaise of the ’70s with swashbuckling nostalgia. “Interstellar,” full of visual dazzle, thematic ambition, geek bait and corn (including the literal kind), is a sweeping, futuristic adventure driven by grief, dread and regret.

Trying to jot down notes by the light of the Imax screen, where lustrous images (shot by Hoyte van Hoytema and projected from real 70-millimeter film) flickered, I lost count of how many times the phrase “I’m sorry” was uttered — by parents to children, children to parents, sisters to brothers, scientists to astronauts and astronauts to one another. The whole movie can be seen as a plea for forgiveness on behalf of our foolish, dreamy species. We messed everything up, and we feel really bad about it. Can you please give us another chance?

 

It’s rare for a film to deliver a scene of such emotional power that the hardened critic is fighting back tears. It’s even less common for a celluloid image to have that effect. Interstellar does both.

Christopher Nolan’s latest is in every respect a big picture. At a shade under three hours, it’s his longest to date. It also packs in more ideas — about family, humanity, scientific progress, stewardship of the Earth and more — than most films would dare try. If it fails to please all of the people all of the time, it’s not for lack of ambition.

Blu-ray 2 (Supplements)

Gary Tooze

March 21st, 2015