Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is one of the many entries in the acclaimed director’s filmography, and it is still so much better 10 years later. Christopher Nolan is a director known for having an incredible streak of hits, with pretty much all of his movies being critically praised as well as being box office hits. While some of Nolan’s most popular movies include The Dark Knight, Inception, and Nolan’s 2023 film Oppenheimer, one film has grown on audiences since it was initially released back in 2014, with many having more appreciation for it now than they did upon its initial release.
Interstellar was the 2014 release from beloved director Christopher Nolan, with the sci-fi film bringing together exciting intergalactic adventures with heady themes and beautiful special effects. The film stars Matthew McConaughey as Cooper, a NASA pilot who lives in the distant future where Earth is slowly becoming uninhabitable. Because of this, it is decided that Cooper and several other researchers must go into space and investigate other planets, attempting to see if they are inhabitable. To do this, the team must travel through wormholes, leading to various problems that the astronauts have to tackle throughout the film.
‘Interstellar’ Ending & Space Travel Explained
We break down the ‘Interstellar’ ending and explain how time and space relativity works within the film.
The Ambition Of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar Wasn’t Appreciated Enough When It Released
Despite the film being praised now, the ambition of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar wasn’t appreciated enough when it was originally released. Interstellar was fresh off the heels of the conclusion to Nolan’s beloved The Dark Knight trilogy, an incredibly marketable blockbuster franchise that stars one of the most iconic superheroes of all time. Because of this, it was seen as a huge risk for Nolan to follow this series up with an original sci-fi script that had a whopping price tag of $165 million, and while this was expensive, it proves that the ambition of Interstellar is something to be admired.
Despite this, Interstellar wasn’t received nearly as well in 2014 as it is now. Interstellar still received positive reviews, but many critics claimed that the film didn’t hold up to some of Nolan’s other works. The film was pointed out to be confusing, clunky, and over-sentimental, with this complexity being something that is praised now. Despite it being an original idea with heavy themes, Interstellar was a blockbuster movie, and outside of Nolan’s films like Tenet and Oppenheimer, risky blockbusters like this rarely get made anymore.
Interstellar’s Cinematography Has Aged Well Over Time
Viewers who have watched Interstellar know that it is one of Christopher Nolan’s most beautiful films, and the movie’s cinematography has aged even better over time. From a purely visual standpoint, Interstellar is gorgeous, with every single frame being a visual treat. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema shot Interstellar, with him continuing to work alongside Nolan on future films like Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer, with Interstellar proving to be the first of many incredible collaborations between Nolan and van Hoytema.
On top of that, one of the best aspects of Interstellar is its visual effects. The spectacle of the scenes that take place in space is absolutely gorgeous, with the scale of the intergalactic beauty being out of this world. Interstellar‘s black hole is famously one of the most impressive VFX creations of Nolan’s career, and it’s made even more impressive due to how much it looks like actual black holes that have been discovered since.
Although it has been 10 years since Interstellar was released, the cinematography of most modern blockbusters doesn’t hold a candle to Nolan’s film. Interstellar is absolutely stunning throughout its entire runtime, blowing other films that cost even more out of the water to this very day.
Interstellar Gets Better After Repeat Viewings
Another fantastic aspect of Interstellar is that it gets even better after repeat viewings. The time dilation plot device means that Cooper can not only cross dimensions, but he can travel through time as well. This is used to allow Cooper to send messages into the past, setting up some of the film’s most devastating moments. While the implications of these moments are clear on first viewing, audiences that watch Interstellar can catch the setups much earlier in the film if they know what’s coming, making it perfect for rewatching 10 years later.
5 Small Interstellar Details That You Only Notice On Rewatch
Interstellar, known for its intricate details, is filled with subtle nuances that enhance the film’s depth and complexity upon rewatch.
Interstellar’s Scientific Accuracy Makes It More Relevant Than Ever
While the filmmaking aspects of Interstellar are what makes it so worthy of praise, the scientific accuracy of the film should also be appreciated, making it more relevant than ever. Interstellar‘s science is incredibly accurate, with the wormholes and time dilation being brought to the big screen through consultation with actual physicists. What makes Interstellar even more interesting is that the film’s take on black holes looks incredibly similar to the scientific discoveries that have been made since the film was released in 2014, showing just how ahead of its time the movie was.
Interstellar‘s plot is based on the idea of transporting humanity to another planet due to Earth becoming uninhabitable, and the way in which this story is carried out also mirrors real-life scientific theories. The space habitats seen in Interstellar were inspired by theoretical physicist Gerard O’Neill’s theories, showing that even these moments are rooted in actual science. Almost nothing in Interstellar is completely made up, with this scientific accuracy making the story of the film even better.
Interstellar Is Still Worthy Of Discussion A Decade Later
These aforementioned reasons prove that Interstellar is still worthy of discussion a decade later, with the reception growing more positive in the 10 years since its release. As it turns out, Interstellar is actually Christopher Nolan’s most popular movie on Letterboxd, with the film-centric social media app highlighting that the unexpected film is actually growing to be one of the director’s most influential works. An original sci-fi project being more well-known than movies like The Dark Knight or Oppenheimer may seem surprising, but it turns out that this is the case.
There is also a lot to be discussed about Interstellar regarding its apocalyptic themes and its message about human progress. In the face of things like climate change, humanity will have to work together to take on even greater challenges as time goes on. Interstellar explores how difficult this may be, but it does so in a beautiful way, with its ideas being more poignant than ever.
