Interstellar: 10 Superior Philosophical Sci-Fi Films
6. Stalker
Nolan likes to put cool little Easter eggs in many of his films, and Interstellar is no exception. Remember those sassy military robots who assist the astronauts throughout the film? Each is named for a different influence on Interstellar: CASE after pioneering astrophysicist Carl Sagan, KIPP after scientist Kip Thorne who came up with the initial idea for the movie, and undoubted star of the show TARPS after legendary Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky. Tarkovsky made many amazing, mind-blowing films in his career, but the pinnacle was almost certainly Stalker. Loosely adapted from the novel Roadside Picnic by fellow visionary Ruskies Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Stalker is one of the strangest, most abstract road movies ever made. Set in a vaguely dystopian future, the titular character is charged with guiding a couple of clients on an expedition to "The Zone", an unpopulated area which has the supposed potential to fulfil a person's innermost desires. Its implied that The Zone was the sight of either some nuclear disaster or visitation by aliens, exploring similar themes to Interstellar and 2001, but in a much more satisfyingly bizarre way.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
