Movie date: Interstellar

Mars

I have one major problem with this film: It needs to be seen on a big screen, but I don't think audiences can be relied upon to shut up.

Not the film's fault. The film is good. Great, even. I want people to see it.

But if you are generally unable to watch a film without opening your trap, please, do not go.

There are white knuckle moments. Some brilliant action pieces that will leave you with nail prints in your palms.

But at the same time, a lot of it is quiet, and there are aspects you need - want - to pay attention to.

Some of the science is deep, and how it is portrayed - well, it almost broke my willing suspension of disbelief.

I expect it will spark huge debates and there will be fan-made graphics online to explain what happens.

But it's not all cold science or a visual thesis on human nature.

Human drama is there and in some scenes, powerfully moving.

It's three hours with so many different notes, a short review could never do it justice.

Just don't give out the spoilers and really, go willing to behave.

That holds some irony for a film about making a sacrifice for the greater good.

4/5 stars

Venus

You need to prepare before watching this, as you'll be tested physically and mentally.

Director Nolan already has a reputation for giving us intellectual films - so you know you must be ready to think and mull over whatever he throws at you.

This is one long opus, and you would not want to miss a thing.

Interstellar is ambitious in scope and scale.

The story may seem simple - exploring the final frontier for habitable planets - and it's not anything new.

That's what we get from Star Trek movies.

But in Nolan's hands, this becomes a visual spectacle that's (supposedly) rooted in fact.

There is a lot of deep stuff about singularities, the fifth dimension, relativity, quantum physics...

I flunked physics, so my mind automatically switched off when all the science talk is hurled at you at light speed.

No thanks also to McConaughey's thick Texan drawl.

Thankfully, Nolan is equally heavy on the emotional aspects, which I think most of us can relate to.

McConaughey does a brilliant job, torn between his duty to save humanity and his fatherly duties to his young children.

A pity the final act is lost in space.

3/5 stars

STARRING: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine
DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
THE SKINNY: In an unspecified near future, single dad and former astronaut Cooper (McConaughey), along with his kids, start experiencing odd phenomena in their farm house. He subsequently stumbles across a secret Nasa project where explorers have discovered a black hole to an unknown galaxy that may offer a habitable planet for humanity. 
RATING: PG13
THE CONSENSUS: This sci-fi adventure may be mind- and butt-numbing, but it's worth embarking on the journey.

This article was first published on Nov 5, 2014.
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