Interstellar: 10 Superior Philosophical Sci-Fi Films

8. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

The other big influence on Interstellar (and this is again coming straight from the horse€™s mouth) (Christopher Nolan being the horse in this analogy) is the more optimistic science fiction of Steven Spielberg. Nolan has said in interviews that he hoped to harken back to a previous age of sci-fi films, of the era that Spielberg was making things like Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, with the same sense of wonder and exploration humanity has lost in its space programmes, both in real life and in Interstellar. Like JJ Abrams with Super 8, he maybe should've kept quiet about that particular influence. Because when you start opening your big mouth about the films that have inspired your own, you€™re instantly opening them up for comparison. And rarely will you come out on top, especially when you€™re going up against a cinematic titan like Spielberg. Whether you€™re going with the theatrical release or director€™s cut (which has since been disavowed due to its radically different ending), Close Encounters is a superior film to Interstellar, but especially in its answer to the question about our place in the universe, and whether humans are alone as the sole intelligent species.