Interstellar, by Christopher Nolan, is perhaps one one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever as it is exciting to watch, expertly crafted and scientifically accurate (mostly) all while existing in a heart-wrenching uniquely emotional narrative. Interstellar touches upon a range of topics from Do Not go Gentle into that Good Night to the existence of wormholes in space. One topic that I found particularly interesting was Nolan’s emphasis on time. Throughout the movie the non-diegetic audio helps to create the illusion of time. One scene that exemplifies this in particular is the giant wave scene where each hour that the team is on this planet is equivalent to 7 earth years. Therefore, the team tries to move as quickly as possible. This time pressure is amplified by the non-diegetic audio. In the beginning of this scene, (the link 1) you hear a clock ticking that is resemblant of water dripping since they are in an ocean. At around 0:40 the quarter note clicking is subdivided into eight notes yielding the ticking to be twice as fast hence increasing the anxiety. At 1:20 we faintly hear a violin begin to play sixteenth note. There is then a slow crescendo as more instruments begin to play there is then a slight accelerando however all the music uses that original clicking as their metronome. This culminates at 2:10 when the full wave appears on camera. This ticking sound is not isolated to this scene it is a recurring theme that we see in the docking scene (link 2) starting at 0:46 and crescendoing and acts as a rigid pulse to both the orchestra and to Cooper while he tries to manually dock the ship. This ultimately has a similar effect to the movie as it creates suspense and puts pressure on the characters and makes them aware of time pressures. This ticking sound is not isolated to these scenes but is used throughout the movie to create drama and suspense. This objectively is an extremely effective way to create suspense and show the importance of time especially considering that time plays such a key role later in the movie.Subjectively, I would say that this is an awesome soundtrack it creates so much suspense it gives the audience goosebumps watching this. I think Hans Zimmer did an outstanding job not only creating a soundtrack that sounds good but that also has a purpose in the narrative element of the move.
Another part of the movie that really separates this movie from others is the scene when Cooper is in a 3 dimensional representation of the 4th dimension. This sounds confusing but it is explained well in the movie. Humans live in a 3 dimensional world of which is moving the 4th dimension, which is time. There is a scene (link 3 0:38-1:20) that explains this; in the scene you see that Cooper is given access to any moment in time represented in a 3 dimensional world.
Overall, I think this was a great movie from pretty much aspect. This is the only movie I have ever watched where I have found poetry embedded into the movie to be absolutely fitting and entertaining(link 4 0:33-1:06). I would recommend anybody who is looking for an expertly crafted movie that will have you in constant suspense and leave you with things to contemplate later.
Link 1:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hf_XkgE1d0
Link 2:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3lcGnMhvsA
Link 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtTkcM9BfXM
Link 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_nprPycZow
Hey Ryan, As much as I enjoyed Interstellar, I found it, upon re watching, to be somewhat disheveled. The movie begins with a sincere, focused plot, but as Christopher Nolan enters space, the initial mission seems to be forgotten. This would be alright if the plot transitioned into something more interesting, but I found that the ending was so confusing that they basically force you to rewatch it. And, upon that rewatch, you realize that the end is mostly filled with scenes akin to a bad acid trip, and no real substance. While I enjoyed the film, I fee like they had all the elements for a 2001 A space odyssey esque film and did not go as far as they could have.
ReplyDeleteHey Ryan, I enjoyed interstellar, but I don't think it's as fantastic as you describe it. I felt that some of the explanations in the movie didn't make much sense, and certain scenes of betrayal make e question whether or not it was really necessary, as well as if it really made sense to have in the movie. Despite these scenes, the way they portrayed time in the movie and used it to create suspense was amazing, I completely agree with you. The scene where the astronaut is going through multiple dimensions was mind blowing, and I loved watching his escape out of this crazy beyond reality scene. I think the choices made by the director added a lot to the movie, and not only this but the way he portrayed his scenes such as the scene where there on another planet, makes the movie beautiful. The art direction and styles of the movie made it very enjoyable and pristine to watch. I think that the art direction, and the directors other choices made up for the minor flaws I saw in the movie. Overall, I agree with your rating of good, good, despite the few flaws the movie had.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Ryan listen I personally did not do not agree with your analysis of interstellar. In fact I thought the overall story was lacking and not very good also as a syfy fan I found it was not very appealing to that movie genre. Also I did enjoy the sound track but overall I did not appreciate the movie. You have your own opinion of the movie I just did not agree with it. So in total I disliked the movie but enjoyed your analysis I just do not have the same sentiments. If I would rate this I would rate it bad good.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing the problem with interstellar is the horrible acting. One problem is you could not get actors to stop crying or being angry at something there was little emotion. In fact subjectively I found it displeasing. However the objective qualities of this film redeem it slightly. Such as the special effects they seem to be the only thing that makes it much if a movie. The other objective quality is the time distortions which were show in a decent light. Though the overall story lack and at times if you are not as syfy fan you would not understand it. This was my real problem with interstellar and this is why i personally disliked it.