Interstellaris one of Christopher Nolan’s most fascinating yet underrated projects of his entire catalog, but the film’s recent 10-year anniversary has given many audiences the perfect opportunity to evaluate the story from a new perspective. The film exemplifies everything that makes Nolan’s writing and filmmaking so powerful: it’s an original, creative narrative that uses complex sci-fi ideas and large-scale storytelling in a way that always feels purposeful and intimate.Certain aspects ofInterstellarhaven’t aged perfectly, but it’s still a groundbreaking piece of cinema.
Nolan’s sci-fi epic centers around a team of scientists who are sent on a dangerous mission to scout the perfect location for a potential human colony, trying to save humanity from their impending destruction on a gradually dying Earth. And yet, despite the grand theatrics of the science fiction elements,Interstellaris a very grounded story about parenthood and unconditional love, which Nolan navigates masterfully. It’s one of thebest mind-bending moviesout there - because it uses its confounding narrative in a genuinely moving and powerful way.
Interstellar Grossed Less Than Inception & The Dark Knight Movies When It Came Out
It Wasn’t Nolan’s Most Commercially Successful Movie
DespiteInterstellar’s incredible performances and moving story, the film wasn’t an immediate success at the time of release. In fact, compared to some of Christopher Nolan’s other films,Interstellarwas viewed as somewhat of a failure.It opened to $47 million in the United Statesand later reached $681 million worldwide (viaBox Office Mojo). These are great numbers for an original sci-fi movie in the early 2010s, but they’re not as astounding as the box office run that Nolan had previously been experiencing.
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The time travel featured in Interstellar is explained in a much simpler way compared to Christopher Nolan’s much more confusing film Tenet.
Inceptionbroke records by making $828 million worldwide upon its release, which was amazing for an original concept that wasn’t based on a previously existing property.The Dark Knightdid even better, narrowly crossing the $1 billion threshold and reaching $1.09 billion upon later re-releases. These were amongChristopher Nolan’s highest-grossing movies ever, andInterstellardidn’t quite live up to the expectations that had been (perhaps unfairly) placed upon it.
The Film Wasn’t An Instant Classic Like Inception
Critically,Interstellaralso failed to quite reach the heights that had been achieved by Nolan’s previous movieInception.The latter was hailed as one of thegreatest movies of all time, with critics universally praising its nonlinear storytelling and creative world-building that was rarely seen on such an enormous budget. The film also benefited from some immense set pieces and action scenes, which made it an instant crowd-pleaser.Interstellaris a much slower and more meditative film, which isn’t what audiences were expecting from Nolan at the time; as such, many viewed it as a disappointment.
Audiences were expecting a high-octane space thriller, and what they received was a much slower exploration of human purpose in the universe.
Inceptionwas an international phenomenon, and it would’ve been almost impossible for Nolan to replicate that kind of success withInterstellar. The films are fundamentally different, andInterstellaris a much more personal film whose themes are much darker and more mature thanInception’s. It didn’t have the groundbreaking practical effects and innovative choreography that was found inInception, and many critics used this as ammunition against the sci-fi epic. Audiences were expecting a high-octane space thriller, and what they received was a much slower exploration of human purpose in the universe.
Interstellar Has Rightfully Only Gotten More Love Since It Came Out
The Film Has Been Re-Assessed In Recent Years
Thankfully, critics and audiences alike have quickly come around onInterstellar, and it’s now viewed as one of Christopher Nolan’s most impressive projects.The film’s quality was understandably overshadowed by the popularity ofInceptionandThe Dark Knight, but once the film was given time to breathe and audiences could watch it from a more separate, objective perspective, its powerful themes and rich storytelling became much more obvious.Interstellaris packed with strong quotesthat really emphasize how excellent Nolan’s writing is, exploring fascinating themes in ways that always feel natural and raw.
Another reason forInterstellar’s growing popularity in Nolan’s filmography is that it’s completely different from everything else he’s made since. At the time of release,Nolan was consistently making sci-fi movies with outlandish concepts, so it didn’t feel as unique or singular as it does now. But since then, Nolan has shifted his style of filmmaking to encompass many new genres, such as war dramas withDunkirk, historical biopics withOppenheimer, and espionage thrillers withTenet. It’s been a while since he’s done a pure sci-fi adventure, which makesInterstellareven more exciting.
What Makes Interstellar Such An Unique Movie In Christopher Nolan’s Career
The Film Is Unlike Anything Else Nolan Has Made
None of Christopher Nolan’s films are the same, butInterstellarmay be his most unique and individual of them all. Although it fits neatly into the sci-fi genre, which the director was certainly no stranger to,it blends styles and tones in a way that few of his projects had ever done before. The contrast betweenInterstellar’s macroscopic grandeur and its rich, intimate storytelling is what really makes this film special, and that’s not something to be found inInceptionorThe Dark Knight, which both fully lean into their huge scope and epic scale.
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Interstellar’s best scenesaren’t the huge set pieces or the sweeping shots of space (though these are admittedly excellent), but rather the quieter moments that explore Cooper’s relationship with his daughter and his conflict about spending so much time away from his family.The entire film is a meditation on the passage of time, and a very personal reflection on Nolan’s own experiences watching his children grow into adults. The epic scope is actually a meta-textual way for Nolan to explore how success and ambition falter in comparison to the invaluable experience of raising a family.
Nolan is renowned for his complex ideas and subversive concepts, such as dream-diving inInceptionor time-reversing inTenet. ButInterstellar’s narrative is much simpler and more reminiscent of a classic sci-fi movie - from the spaceships to the faraway planets, and even the intergalactic travel. This feels like Nolan’s homage to the sci-fi genre in a much more conventional (although very creative) way, instead of trying to break ground with new, innovative ideas. That’s what separatesInterstellarfrom the rest of Nolan’s filmography, and while it disappointed some audiences upon its release, it’s what makes this project particularly special.
Interstellar
Cast
From Christopher Nolan, Interstellar imagines a future where the Earth is plagued by a life-threatening famine, and a small team of astronauts is sent out to find a new prospective home among the stars. Despite putting the mission first, Coop (Matthew McConaughey) races against time to return home to his family even as they work to save mankind back on Earth.
