Film Review: Interstellar

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Interstellar. Rated M (science fiction themes and infrequent coarse language). 169 minutes. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan

Verdict: In space nothing is as it seems.

There are a number of massive holes in the Nolan brothers’ extraordinary labour of love, and they are (not in any particular order) wormholes, black holes and plot holes. But none of Interstellar’s flaws (of which its long running time is one) come close to ruining the effectiveness of this magnificent, entirely immersive cinematic experience.

Earth is almost uninhabitable, and NASA’s scientists believe the only way to ensure the human race doesn’t become extinct is to resettle on another planet. Previous astronauts have failed to return from searching for likely candidates, so the job of travelling through the wormhole to distant galaxies falls to Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), Amelia (Anne Hathaway), Doyle (Wes Bentley) and Romilly (David Gyasi). What they discover will forever change the way time, space and the possibilities for our future are comprehended.

Nolan (The DarkKnight Rises, Inception, The Dark Knight) cements his reputation as one of the most imaginative directors at work in film today. Together with cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema and frequent collaborator, Production Designer Nathan Crowley, Nolan creates sequences of often jaw-dropping wonder.

The performances from Nolan’s deeply committed ensemble are excellent, with McConaughey in particular delivering yet another superb performance of immense emotional and psychological range.

Kip Thorne’s theories about astrophysics play out here as a multitude of theories about the time/space continuum on the edges of, and within, our solar system, but Interstellar’s genuine emotional clout involves the value of family. And as the dazzling visuals begin to fade from memory, it is the scenes between Cooper and his daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain and Ellen Burstyn share the role) that make the important and lasting impressions.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.

Film Review: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises. Rated M (violence). 164 minutes. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan.        

Verdict: An overwhelmingly masterful experience of the perfect fusion between creative vision and cinematic storytelling.

With the final instalment to his Batman trilogy – Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) – Nolan has delivered not only one of his finest films, but one of the best films of the year, if not the decade. From the extraordinary opening aerial sequences to the final five best movie minutes in recent memory, Nolan and his team immerse us – flawlessly – into an overwhelming experience of the perfect fusion between creative vision and cinematic storytelling. It is, in short, brilliant, masterful work.

With the Batman (Christian Bale) in retirement and nursing his physical and psychological wounds, the evil Bane (Tom Hardy, pictured) unleashes his dire plan for the domination of Gotham. When his mother’s precious pearl necklace is stolen by cat-burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), Batman finds himself forced back into defending the now entirely lawless Gotham from Bane’s destructive ambitions.

Film Review: Inception

Inception. 148 minutes. Rated M. Written and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Three cheers for Christopher Nolan who has delivered one of the most curious, layered, intellectually engaging, visually arresting and superbly crafted films of the year. While it is certainly no masterpiece, it is a film that will have you discussing its grand and adventurous epic story-telling and mind-bending qualities in equal measure.

Nolan has always been a filmmaker to inspire passionate debate. His stunning reboot of the Batman franchise (Batman Begins in 2005), is considered one of the most perfect examples of the comic book big screen adaptations, while his Memento (2000) was a supreme example of reverse narrative engineering.

Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a highly sought-after ‘extractor’ – someone who is able to infiltrate people’s sub-conscious dream state and identify their secrets and ideas before stealing them. A wealthy Japanese businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe) challenges Cobb and his colleagues to perform an ‘inception’ – where instead of stealing an idea that already exists, an idea is implanted in the target’s sub-conscious. The particular ‘target’ of Saito’s ambitious plan is Robert Fischer Jr (Cillian Murphy) – heir to a rival business empire. Robert’s father Maurice (Pete Postlethwaite) is terminally ill, and Saito wants the young heir to dismantle his father’s empire, effectively eliminating Saito’s competition.

In spite of all the advance claims of the film being too cryptic and obscure, it’s actually a relatively simple premise that becomes increasingly involving as the cast find themselves trapped in the dark and threatening, multi-layered sub-conscious world of fear, regret and lost love. Tom Hardy, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are outstanding as Cobb’s co-conspirators while DiCaprio gives the overall impression of being at sea with the one-note emotional nature of much of the material – particularly the occasionally distracting storyline involving his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) and his memories of the first time he attempted an ‘inception’.

Hans Zimmer’s (Sherlock Holmes) score is brilliant, while Nolan’s regular collaborators cinematographer Wally Pfister and editor Lee Smith are in magnificent form – capturing Guy Dyas’s (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) eye-popping production design and Brad Ricker’s inspirational art direction to absolute perfection.