Interstellar was the first major blockbuster release of the holiday season. The film’s big name director (Christopher Nolan) and its star studded cast (Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and another, uncredited actor) made its release highly anticipated. With such talent involved, the movie had high expectations to live up to, and based on the reviews I have seen and heard, it was successful in doing so.

The film is set in the possibly near future on a dying earth. As crops are failing and living conditions worsen, humanity must look to the stars for a new home. At the front of this space exploration is Cooper, a man who makes an uncertain journey through a wormhole to planets beyond our solar system to secure the future existence of humanity. In doing so, he must leave his two children behind, uncertain of when, if at all, he will see them again. Interstellar tells a story of discovery and survival while exploring the different sides of the human race—its survival instinct, family loyalty, and innovation.

While the premise of the movie was interesting, I found it hard to stay focused on the plot for the whole two hours and forty-eight minutes in which the film ran. While this may have been due to lack of sleep, the length of the movie seemed a bit excessive. The problem was not that the plot dragged; the problem was more that the plot needed that amount of time to play out, and I could not manage to remain attentive the whole time. Average movie running time seems to be getting longer and longer, and with this length comes the added challenge of keeping the audience engaged for the whole time. I still found the plot interesting and was fascinated by the science aspect of the film (i.e. black holes, the Theory of Relativity, interstellar travel, other survivable planets, etc.), but the amount of time it took to convey the plot (and the pile of homework awaiting me at home) made it a bit of a challenge to stay 100% engaged. If you are the type of person who struggles to focus for an hour and a half when watching an average length movie, Interstellar is probably not for you.

That being said, I do not have much else to criticize. The visual effects were amazing and brought the far reaches of space to life. Though heavy and often surpassing my knowledge, the science behind the plot was, from what I have heard, based in fact and not fabricated to fill in the blanks between point A and point B. The cast did a great job portraying their characters, though admittedly there was not quite as much significant character growth as one might expect in a movie of such length. And while I would not call the ending a “plot twist” per say, all of the details were tied up nicely in a way that I could never have seen coming. The film is thought-provoking and introduces a harsh reality that humanity may find itself in in the not-so-distant future.

I cannot say that I would recommend Interstellar to everyone, and hesitate to give it the title of a “must see.” As I mentioned above, not everyone will have the attention span and focusing capability to fully engage in the film. Additionally, the subject matter can get a bit heavy at times. While the ideas introduced in the film are valuable to everyone in their own way, Interstellar will probably be enjoyed most by fans of the science fiction genre.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)