Ranking Every Christopher Nolan Film From Worst To Best

Interstellar is so close to excellence, and yet, at the same time it's light years from it.

This lonely, existential space epic is almost perfect for the first two-thirds of its runtime. It introduces us to a gritty, believable near-future and a protagonist we can root for in Matthew McConaughey's Cooper.

It's torturous following Coop as he engages in an internal battle, torn between seeing his family again and securing the future of the human race out there in the cosmos.

Then there are the stunning planetary vistas on offer, made all the more beautiful by Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography and Hans Zimmer’s evokative score.

And then Matt Damon shows up.

With the arrival of Damon's Dr. Mann, we can stick a pin in the moment that Interstellar lost its way and became bogged down by too many moving parts.

His introduction undermines the familial relationship the story is anchored on, but the film disregards it almost completely at the end when Coop is reunited with his daughter for all of two minutes before jetting off again.

These flaws aside, with Interstellar Nolan had the stones to follow in the footsteps of filmmaking greats like Stanley Kubrick and tackle metaphysical issues most directors simply couldn't comprehend.