Director Christopher Nolan looks to impress once again with his latest film Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain. From this trailer, the story appears to be that a planetary crisis — possibly climate change related — is forcing humanity to search for another inhabitable planet. Since nothing in the local system is appropriate, a small crew of astronauts is tasked with journeying through a wormhole and discovering another planet…somewhere else.
With what’s being presented right now, it’s hard to know where the film is actually going to go. There appears to be a strong family element, so audiences could expect heavy human drama, but since the astronauts will be out of communication (barring some kind of Hollywood explanation), then the family aspect will take place without the main character, which would be unsatisfying. Another guess, since the trailer only shows what appears to be the first act, is that the film is pure space survival. Once the shuttle leaves orbit, the crew must contend with keeping the craft together through a voyage no one could design for. Or maybe I’m entirely wrong and the entirety of the film is human drama on Earth, with the film ending with the space crew blasting off to parts unknown, leaving audiences to guess whether humanity survives or dies. Or maybe this will pan out to be another 2001: A Space Odyssey. Whatever Interstellar ends up being, we’re excited for it. Nolan has a pretty good track record for turning out overall satisfying films.
Look for Interstellar in theaters November 2014.