Interstellar (2014) marks the fourth Christopher Nolan essay in this collection. The movie won the Oscar award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects (Paul J. Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, Scott R. Fisher), but was nominated for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures-Original Score, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, Best Achievement in Sound Editing, and Best Achievement in Production Design; the movie gained 43 additional wins from 2014-2015. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the man needs no introduction. Seriously, he doesn't, because I've introduced him three times already. Basically, he's really famous. Read my other articles on Chris Nolan to get a better-rounded sense of the guy. The film was inspired by the Space Shuttle program and how NASA lacked financing for a human mission to Mars, and Nolan drew inspiration from science fiction films with apocalyptic themes, such as WALL-E (2008) and Avatar (2009). The setting was inspired by the United States Dust Bowl during the Great Depression in the 1930s, using footage from the 2012 Ken Burns documentary, The Dust Bowl. Thankfully, Interstellar is ranked higher in the IMDb Top 250 in the 28th spot.
Matthew McConaughey plays the main character, Joseph Cooper, supporting stellar cast Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, and Michael Caine. The movie was mainly filmed in Alberta, Canada. In contrast, the interior of the space research center was filmed in the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in Los Angeles. Additional filming took place in Svínafellsjökull, Vatnajökull, Austurland, Iceland, and Sony Pictures Studios in California. The movie follows a team of explorers who travel through a wormhole in space to ensure the survival of the human race. Survival is the dominant theme throughout the film; so, how does it differ with each character?
One of the first instances the movie explores the theme of survival is in the form of the Lazarus pilots who ventured through the wormhole with the knowledge that most of them will die before they can be found, especially if their planet is not a viable candidate for harboring life. Early in the film, Dr. Brand explains that her father didn't want to hire people with attachments to ensure their unbiased approach and willingness to the mission. Unfortunately for Cooper, he was NASA's best pilot, which meant that he would be the only one with attachments to Earth out of all the Lazarus explorers. Dr. Brand Senior's choice to choose people without attachments also came from a place of selfishness. He didn't want to be the person to go to the deceased pilots' family and break the news that they were never coming back. Without attachments, it made it easy to send them off and essentially leave them there.
The first sacrificial tragedy came to Doyle. When Coop, TARS, Brand, and Doyle land on Miller's planet after detaching from the Endurance and leaving Rom to study gravity, they find that the planet is unlivable relatively quickly. The ship land in water about two feet deep with no sign of stable land or resources other than water (which we're not sure is drinkable in the first place). Brand steps out of the ship, and TARS tries to find Dr. Miller's beacon. Lifting the beacon out of the water, Brand and Doyle quickly realize that Dr. Miller is dead. Coop witnesses a massive tidal wave is coming for them as this is happening. He urges the two to get back on the ship so they can get back in one piece, but Brand is determined to grab Miller's research, so her sacrifice wasn't in vain. Brand gets stuck under a part of Miller's ship. TARS runs to grab her while Doyle holds open the ship's door. TARS and Brand make it into the ship seconds before the tidal wave hits, sweeping Doyle away with the currents. His sacrifice became an unfortunate necessity to save Brand and TARS.
Later in the film, Coop, Brand, and Rom arrive at Dr. Mann's planet. He's been said to have been dead for many years when in reality, the pilots find him in deep hibernation. Originally thought to believe he wanted the greater good for humanity, Mann's only goal was to return home. He lies about the data, stating that the planet is habitable when it actually isn't. Mann's lies and betrayals killed Rom after accessing Mann's actual data. Mann also tried to kill Coop by ripping off his transponder and cracking his helmet, letting the ammonia-filled air suffocate him. In the end, Mann died a horrible death. In Mann's case, he sacrificed his integrity as a scientist, showing his cowardice and weakness to the other pilots.
Finally, the most significant sacrifice was when Cooper chose to save Brand instead of himself. He knew that it was the only way that they would be able to acquire the data necessary to solve the gravity equation and save humanity. He knew that Brand had a greater chance of saving humankind than him, given her background as a scientist. Cooper takes TARS to Gargantua but ejects himself to protect himself from the ship's pressure. Here, we find the truth behind the whole movie. Sacrificing himself was a selfless move, but it was also practical. If it wasn't for his sacrifice, there wouldn't have been a movie in the first place. Coop essentially traveled back in time to send a message to 10-year-old Murph.
Coop would not have taken the mission if he had been told the magnitude of the sacrifice he'll have to make. If Brand said that his chances of arriving within the same decade were close to zero, of course, he wouldn't have gone. But then humanity would go extinct. All the characters are sacrificing at least one thing for the survival of humankind. Brand knows that she won't see her father alive again; Rom, Doyle, Mann, and Cooper sacrificed their lives. Mann was also willing to sacrifice Cooper's life if it meant he would steal their ship. I thought this movie was stunning. It was way more engaging than Gravity (2013) was. I genuinely believed that Interstellar should have won the award for Best Original Score, but only if it were possible for there to be two winners. Because The Grand Budapest definitely deserved that win. Or at the least, Best Sound Editing (instead of American Sniper).
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