The Film
If you're planning to drop acid anytime soon, you may want to pick up the new Interstellar Blu-ray. It has a pretty trippy image, completely immersive audio, and is filled with moments that will have you pondering your ability to understand movies and possibly your entire existence. It also takes an entire afternoon to get through.
That's not a necessarily a knock, though. If you know Christopher Nolan films, you know they can get weird sometimes -- and not just the ones with Batman.
This film certainly could have used the Caped Crusader, though. Instead, it relies on Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway to save the future from completely bleak prospects.
About two seconds into Interstellar, we know that the Earth is pretty much a vast wasteland, where its inhabitants go about daily life in hopes of repopulating the planet with both people and food sources. That's becoming harder every day, so widower/farmer/former NASA pilot Cooper (McConaughey) leaves his 15-year-old son Tom (Timothée Chalamet), his less-understanding 10-year-old daughter Murphy (Mackenzie Foy), and his father-in-law (John Lithgow), all to seek out a better life -- one on an entirely different planet.
During the time Cooper spends traveling light years to a wormhole near Saturn, time on Earth passes -- a lot of it. His son (now Casey Affleck) grows up, gets married, has a son, and takes over the family farm. His daughter (Jessica Chastain), on the other hand, continues to hold a grudge, all while following in her father's footsteps, all the way to NASA.
Interstellar swallows up decades on screen and oftentimes may leave you feeling that you've gained a few gray hairs in the process. At a whopping 169 minutes, this is one long journey, people. Some parts are will have you glued, some will have you confused, and others will have you looking at your watch.
That's because when it comes down to it, it's really a story about family. Um what? Yeah, see Interstellar can be confusing. A lot of people seem to either love or hate this film. I found myself in the middle. When it's good, it's really good, thanks to so many super-cool visuals, a bit heart-pounding action, a lot of science, and a ton of famous faces. Just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.
For a lengthier peek at this lengthy movie, check out Joe Lozito's theatrical review of Interstellar.
The Picture
Interstellar's imagery is so wonderful that you probably won't notice that the film flip-flops between a 2.39:1 and 1.78:1 aspect ratios. Facial details, the sun glistening off an open body of water, strands of Mackenzie Foy's locks blowing in the breeze, lush scenery, and Matthew McConaughy's gelled hair all stand out in the opening scenes of the film. Still, there are a few moments that are less than stellar in Interstellar. When McConaughy goes to sit down next to John Lithgow on the front porch, his face sort of blurs out to bit. Moments like that are surprising, but also fleeting. The inside of the spaceship, the interplanetary travels and even the future is sharp and features a color palette that's spot-on. By the end of this movie, you'll forget about those earlier moments -- and not just because the movie is incredibly long. It's just a really interesting image from beginning to end.
The Sound
In a word: Awesome. When I first popped Interstellar into my Blu-ray player and the main menu came up, I was shocked to see that Paramount didn't give it a 7.1 track. Heck, I figured it would be prime fodder for Dolby Atmos. That said, you're not really going to care because this is a crazy, completely immersive track. From the film's opening blip in space, the organ music and the brutal dust storm, you know that you're in for a real audio treat. And that barely scratches the surface! The moment where the crew blasts off will have your walls rattling. However, once things settle down, the inside of the spaceship delivers exactly the type of audio you'd expect from the inside of a spaceship, whether it's dead silence, bleeps, bloops, creaks and/or alarms. It's creepy, awesome and insanely interesting. Filling in some of the gaps is Hans Zimmer's soundtrack. It can be a little overpowering at times, but is pretty wonderful overall.
The Extras
Final Thoughts
Interstellar is a feast for the eyes and ears. The brain? Well, two out of three ain't bad. The film isn't bad, but it could have been so much better. It does have a lot of good moments -- a lot of them. However, the film's daddy issues keep it from becoming a truly great sci-fi spectacle. The AV, on the other hand, should be enough to keep you glued to this film for its lengthy runtime. That and an entire disc of interesting special features absolutely make this one worth checking out.
Product Details
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