When you think of a space movie you think of outworldly examples like Star Wars with its wacky characters and powers. Christopher Nolan’s 2014 space endeavor of Interstellar is different, however.  With previous works including The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception, viewers had high expectations for this movie. In my opinion, these high expectations were met and in some respects even exceeded.

Interstellar follows Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, in the near future. All of the crops on earth have been destroyed causing humanity to search for a new home while trying to build a shuttle to take off from earth. The setting of the movie is eerie as this future is grounded in reality. The viewer is able to witness the destruction that years of human activity has wrought and it ties to an underlying message of the film. A message to protect and take care of the earth because we need it. The film feels like an allegory for enacting legislation to reduce pollution and preserve the environment.

The narrative is enthralling and the amazing performances only enhance it. Cooper’s relationship with his daughter is believable and evokes emotion while the desperation to find a new planet is visceral and terrifying. The ending was unexpected yet flowed very well with the rest of the movie. The story itself was not the only positive part of this movie. The visual effects are stunning to watch and create a more enjoyable experience. The effects on things like black holes and wormholes were awe inspiring and these representation were so scientifically accurate that they were used for scientific studies.

The only criticism I hold for this movie is that during some points of the first act, the plot feels slow and meandering. This is felt in the time it takes for the story to actually reach space. These slower portions are important because they create anticipation and develop the characters, yet the slow pacing as a beginning point might turn people away.

I would recommend this movie everyone and especially to lovers of science. The movie used real scientists to make it realistic and includes interesting things such as black holes, whose immense gravity affects the rules of time. This movie is gripping, realistic, and well made which makes it a worthwhile watch.