So Interstellar has finally arrived and, as many probably predicted, it has divided the audiences and critics alike. This is a Christopher Nolan movie, after all, so the two rough camps of opinion which have been set up either staunchly defending or harshly criticising were perhaps inevitable. It's certainly an ambitious film and clearly a personal project for Nolan, condensing some of his preoccupations about the nature of time and memory and the role technology has to play in our society into nothing less than an epic about mankind's survival. It's also a film with more than a few moments of visual flair and invention - while some might argue that the watery and icy vistas on display on the planets the crew of the Endurance end up visiting are sci-fi cliches, Nolan renders them in impressive scale, not least on account of the fact that he used actual locations rather than green screen backdrops. And yet, for all its grand ambitions and desire to be taken as a serious work of high concept science fiction, Interstellar contains a few flaws too many to elevate it to the status of masterpiece that some would have us label it. Perhaps this is a reflection of the limitations of Nolan's filmmaking abilities, or maybe it's simply a case of studios being unwilling to shell out large sums of money to finance a movie which might alienate more mainstream audiences. Whatever the reasons, Interstellar falls short of the potentially amazing movie it could have been. Here are 8 problems which prevent Interstellar from being a true masterpiece. As you might expect, spoilers lie ahead!
