Before I delve in to my review of Interstellar, I think it’s best to look at the condition of 2014’s box office. Interstellar sits comfortably in the eighth slot of the “Top 10 Highest Grossing Films” list. The other films on the list include The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Amazing Spider-Man 2… All of which are adaptations or reboots. In fact, Interstellar is the only top ten movie to be wholly original.

Guardians of the Galaxy was based upon its comic book predecessors. Maleficent was a live action remake of Sleeping Beauty. That was (and, unfortunately, will be) the state of Hollywood. That being said, I haven’t lost all faith.

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is equal parts science fiction flick, drama, borderline-surreal journey, and breath of fresh air. When I say “science fiction flick,” I mean there are actual scientific principles holding the film together (e.g. Einstein’s theory of relativity, black hole theory). Nolan partnered with Kip Thorne, a theoretical physicist and author, to ensure that Interstellar was scientifically sound. Thorne wrote a book to accompany the film.

Interstellar begins on Earth in the not-too-distant future. Dust storms abound. A shortage of food means the population has radically decreased. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) runs a quaint farm in rural America with his two children and father-in-law (John Lithgow). He stumbles upon a covert NASA base and is asked to undertake a mission to find another habitable planet.

Thus, the storyline is broken into two parts: one that follows Cooper’s children on Earth and one that follows Cooper on his space expedition. The two storylines have wonderful parallels that I won’t spoil here.

If you thought Matthew McConaughey and John Lithgow were impressive cast members, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find Anne Hathaway, Wes Bentley, Michael Caine, and Matt Damon playing significant roles. Also, Bill Erwin voices a robot.

If you’re a fan of down-to-earth scientific principles (pardon the pun), sci-fi, or unconventional family dramas, Interstellar is for you. Plus, the soundtrack is by Hans Zimmer, so you can’t go wrong.

Nolan has created a masterwork of epic proportions. It swept me away. 9/10