Christopher Nolan's Interstellar may very well be one of the best movies that have come out in the year of 2014.

The film starts off by more or less depicting what the near future Earth looks like. Much like in the movie The Martian all the technology looks futuristic, but it always seems like it could already exist today, if only as a prototype. The directors manage quite well to bring across the massive problems and the looming threat of extinction the human race faces by simply showing us the daily life of ex-pilot, engineer and now farmer Cooper and the problems he faces. We see the distant crops burning away, giving us a sense of the increasing scarcity of food, as crop after crop is being destroyed by the blight and only corn can survive. We see the plates being turned down on the table, as the dust has become omnipresent. We see the shift of society, as the teachers of Cooper's misbehaving daughter try to convince him that the Apollo mission did in fact not happen and they make it quite plain that in this society no engineers, astronauts or scientists are needed, but farmers, and that is what he should teach his children to be. Not only does this set up the world quite perfectly, we also get characterizing moments. Cooper, as the film quite often states, is out of place in this world. He looks skywards, whilst the rest looks at the dust and earth below them. The shared moments with his children show his love and affection for both of them, he respects their interests and treads them accordingly. The seemingly paranormal sightings also characterize our second main character at an early stage, Murph. She quite literally follows his footsteps and adopts the scientific ways, she is curious, intelligent and more than anything stubborn. The family grows on you amazingly quickly and his farewell scenes are made all the more hurtful.

It is here that I would already like to mention Nolan's attention to detail and love of practical effects. He literally bought acres of corns to avoid CGI as much as possible for just a few scenes. Whenever CGI is used, and of course in a movie mainly taking place in space there has to be a lot of it, it could just as well be practical effects, by all you know, if only some of it wouldn't be possible. The visual effects are simply stunning and most importantly not noticeable.

As we are being shot into space with Cooper, we run into a few minor problems Interstellar has. After he stumbles onto the secret NASA facility, giving us another glimpse at the world building, that may not be complex but it certainly gives us the illusion of complexity, he gets to pilot a spacecraft in space without getting into shape or ready for space in any way. Having arrived on the space station, the movie struggles to find ways to explain the complex science behind what they are trying to do and so they resort to a scientist explaining the concept of wormholes (exactly the way the teacher did it to the kids in Stranger Things by poking a hole into a sheet of paper) to another scientist. The same happens again later in the movie when the same guy explains to Cooper that time is relative. Nevertheless, even if the exposition may at times be wonky, the actual use and depiction of science is spot-on and nothing like I've ever seen in another movie on such an...interstellar scale. The plot and premise of Interstellar is so unique and amazing precisely because it explores the unexplored aspects of physics, like the concept of wormholes and black holes, and just rolls with it. Every scene in space or another planet looks fantastic and the sheer size of everything, whether it's the massive tidal waves caused by the black hole, the vast ice desert or the black hole itself, really makes you feel helpless and small, whilst still being overtaken by its beauty.

Probably the most emotional scene of the entire two hours is established using the previously mentioned relativity of time. After spending unintended three hours on the black hole-orbiting planet, they return to their station, to their colleague, realizing that decades have past. We are now forced to watch Cooper sit there and have to undergo decades worth of emotions in a few minutes, as the computer displays all the messages his family had sent over the years. It was truly a test for the wonderful actor and if you haven't felt for the protagonist, who more or less carries the movie along with Murph, before you certainly have after this scene. The other side-characters do indeed feel a bit one-sided and unexplored, but that's okay, it's not their story and you always realize the stakes for every character, adding weight to every decision they make. The comic-relief, a robot names TARS with a humour setting of 75 - 100%, is surprisingly likeable and funny, adding the much needed light-hardheartedness.

Parts of the movies do eventually get a bit silly and some scenes feel out of place, like when Dr. Brand talks about love being the only thing that can travel through dimensions next to gravity and two scientists fist-fighting in another galaxy on another planet. The plot concerning Dr. Mann was fine and a murder attempt does actually fit, but the fist-fight was unnecessarily ridiculous.

Following this, however, we get to the most thrilling scene of the entire movie. The spacecraft trying to dock a space station, spinning out of control, by spinning with it. It's here that I would like to mention two things: the score and the lack of sound. You don't see many movies taking place in space that actually show the lack of sound in space and even fewer that use it as a way of instilling fear in us, fear of the vast emptiness and apathy of space. Then, the score. I know a few people that get annoyed by Hanz Zimmer's style of music but many more absolutely ravel in it, as do I. The soundtrack is most of the time idle and you can feel the stellar, spacey aspects of it but when needed it erupts into what you imagine a burst of creativity must sound like. On top of that he brilliants made most of the beats hit every single second, imitating a clock, since time is the main aspect of the movie. Sometimes, in fact, he even uses a clock for his music.

At last, the movie ends with Cooper meeting his dying daughter, creating an arguably even more emotional scene, before eventually ending the film on an optimistic note, leaving you with tons of emotions inside and probably only noticing now that you have to pee, because you had been glued to the screen for the entire time.