Christopher Nolan's eagerly-awaited sci-fi epic, Interstellar, wasn't met with particularly negative reviews upon release - but the critics weren't exactly positive about the flick, either. Indeed, most seemed to find the talented British director's follow-up to The Dark Knight Rises to be a bit scatty. Though it featured mind-blowing visual effects and an excellent lead performance from Matthew McConaughey, Interstellar's message proved to be ultimately frustrating as the movie battled to incorporated elements of both the spiritual and the scientific to notably clumsy effect. Whoops. Much of the criticism geared towards Interstellar was aimed at the scientific aspects; Nolan, after all, spent the months leading up to its release explaining how realistic the movie would be from a scientific perspective. Movie-goers seemed disappointed when it turned out that a few liberties had been taken. And yet to complain about these aspects appears all too glib - especially when Nolan's unique vision has all the scope and beauty of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris rolled into one. If it lacks true "smarts," there's no denying Interstellar as a modern - albeit flawed - sci-fi masterpiece.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
