I Finally Watched Interstellar And Why Did I Wait So Long To Watch This Movie?

Matthew McConaughey holding Anne Hathaway's shoulders in Interstellar
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

So, I have a confession – I haven’t seen that many Christopher Nolan movies

Granted, I am also young in comparison to some of his filmography, as a few of his films came out when I was a literal baby, so it’s not like I was going to the theater to see every single movie he’s made since he started making incredible films. But the one movie that I waited to watch, for the longest time, was Interstellar.

I honestly think at first it was because I was taking physics during the time it came out and I didn’t want to go to a movie that made me think, like I knew Interstellar would. Now it’s been some time since the movie came out and I decided to give it a shot – and why on earth did I wait so long? I just need to talk about it. 

Matt Damon in Interstellar

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The Plot Can Be A Little Confusing – But So Intriguing At The Same Time 

I’ll be honest, the plot for Interstellar pretty much made my head hurt about as much as I thought it was going to, but at the same time, I was blown away by this movie, man. 

Interstellar And 10 Other Great Space Travel Movies To Come Out In The Past 10 Years

The idea of humanity dying because of famine, and people wanting to find a more hospitable planet, so much so that they travel far beyond even our Solar System, is something that I feel like has been done before. But with Interstellar, everything felt so incredibly researched and done to perfection that it felt realistic, and because of that, I really found myself intrigued every step of the way, regardless of whether it made my brain hurt or not. 

Did I ask my boyfriend what certain terms they said mean because he’s a lot smarter in that field than I am? Hell yeah, I did, but that didn’t take away from the overall viewing experience. I truly loved it. 

Ellen Burstyn in Interstellar.

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

And That Ending Pretty Much Made Me Sob 

The Interstellar ending made me sob, for real. 

I knew this movie wasn’t going to have a particularly happy ending, but I didn’t expect it to be so bittersweet and yet, tragic all the same. The fact that Joseph found his daughter in the end, but she was on death’s door, and he still got to say goodbye to her – paired with Amelia finally ending up on a planet that can be inhabited by humans, but no one is there to share the moment – it’s so freaking amazing and sad at the same time.

Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar

(Image credit: Warner Bros/Paramount)

Matthew McConaughey Gives His Best Performance Ever Here 

Matthew McConaughey has truly shown just how much of a gifted actor he is in many other roles, such as Dallas Buyers Club, The Lincoln Lawyer – heck, even the dance movie, Magic Mike, but it’s a sin that he wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Interstellar. 

I honestly think it’s because sci-fi/fantasy movies rarely get nominated for acting performances. Why? I’m not sure, but McConaughey gave the performance of his life in this movie and I think it was even better than Dallas Buyers Club, despite his obvious commitment to that role.

Anne Hathaway in Interstellar

(Image credit: Warner Bros/Paramount)

Anne Hathaway Deserved An Academy Award Nomination For Her Performance 

Another example of someone who should have been nominated – Anne Hathaway. Of course Hathaway is amazing and has already won an Academy Award before, specifically for Les Misérables, but there was something so subtle about her performance as Amelia. 

Her smarts mixed in with her genuine care for the world, and how the story really started to revolve around her and Joseph towards the end, while they were trying their hardest to make this mission somehow work – it all melded together so beautifully. She deserved a lot more praise. 

Mackenzie Foy in Interstellar

(Image credit: Warner Bros/Paramount)

Also, Jessica Chastain Was Great, But Mackenzie Foy Was An Excellent Younger Murph

Jessica Chastain has been in so many great movies that I love, including The Martian, Zero Dark Thirty, and more, and she did a great job in this movie – but man, all I can remember is Mackenzie Foy as Young Murph. 

This movie came out only two years after Breaking Dawn: Part 2, and Foy really brought her A-game to this role. Watching her in this reminded me of how talented the young actress is – and I can’t wait to see her in other roles in the future. 

John Lithgow in Interstellar

(Image credit: Warner Bros./Paramount)

Hans Zimmer Is A Genius 

I mean, Hans Zimmer is responsible for some of the most iconic soundtracks in the world, from The Lion King to Dune, and he never goes wrong when he pairs up with Christopher Nolan for a movie. 

He did it with Inception, he did it with The Dark Knight trilogy, and he certainly did it even better with Interstellar – I could listen to “Cornfield Chase” for hours on end. The score is an utter masterpiece. 

One of the amazing shots in Interstellar.

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

This Movie, Visually, Looks Absolutely Out Of This World

No one is really surprised by this. It’s Christopher Nolan, for God’s sake. The man is known for making pretty movies. Just look at Inception and be blown away by the visual effects and cinematography. 

But, something about Interstellar changed me. I am not the same person I was before watching it. Maybe it was the fact that I got to watch the movie on a huge television when I had the opportunity, but the visuals here truly – and I mean this literally – took my breath away. I was in awe. How something could look so real and yet you know it’s not actually there. That was all once a green screen – it’s amazing how far visual effects have come. 

The building tidal wave in Interstellar.

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

That Tidal Wave On The Ocean World Actually Scared The Heck Out Of Me

Nope. No, Absolutely not. 

There’s a reason I’ve never watched movies like Jaws or Piranha. I’ll go in the ocean, but it still scares the heck out of me, and that ocean world in Interstellar just proves my point. Just imagine a tidal wave like that suddenly coming up from the sea to crash down onto you. 

Nope. I can’t do that. I’m getting anxious just thinking about it. 

The black hole scene in Interstellar.

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The Black Hole Scene Is Going To Give Me Nightmares – In A Good Way

When I heard that there was going to be a black hole scene in Interstellar, I admittedly got a little nervous. The last time I watched something regarding a black hole, it was 2001: A Space Odyssey, and to be honest, that gave me nightmares and made me never want to watch even the best sci-fi movies again. 

But, I was fascinated by the black hole scene. Gargantua was truly terrifying but made the story that much more interesting, and I loved how the team used the gravity of Gargantua to their own advantage, while also still making the hole in the universe that much more interesting. Weirdly amazing in a great way. 

The five-dimensional moment in Interstellar.

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

That Five-Dimension Moment Truly Blew My Mind And It’s A Twist I Will Never Forget

I know we talked about the ending a little, but I need to get into that moment when Joseph finally realized that he was in a five-dimensional tesseract and he was able to communicate with Murph from the past through there. It blew my mind. 

There are movie twists, and then there are twists like this that will forever stay stuck on my brain. I am so in shock that I wasn’t spoiled to this beforehand because the moment I found out that Joseph himself was the freaking ghost that Murph always experienced in her bedroom – I was flabbergasted and amazed. The Nolan brothers struck gold again. 

This film is truly something that is out of this world – literally – and it’s amazingly done. I can’t believe I waited so long to watch it. It will forever stay in my mind as a classic – and now, I’m going to recommend it to anyone I meet. 

Alexandra Ramos
Content Producer

A self-proclaimed nerd and lover of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire, Alexandra Ramos is a Content Producer at CinemaBlend. She first started off working in December 2020 as a Freelance Writer after graduating from the Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in English. She primarily works in features for movies, TV, and sometimes video games. (Please don't debate her on The Last of Us 2, it was amazing!) She is also the main person who runs both our daily newsletter, The CinemaBlend Daily, and our ReelBlend newsletter.