Interstellar--Using Tragic Events and Incredible Imagery to Tell a Story

The last weekend of October in my freshman year of college, I found myself sitting in the Huntington 7 with a friend from high school, gearing up to watch another Matthew McConaughey movie (or, in her words, Matthew McConahot). I did not know much of anything about Interstellar at that point, as I had seen few trailers or commercials (dorm life doesn't often include a lot of satellite television) and had not done any kind of research beforehand. Little did I know that this movie would literally change my life. 

While watching this insane, incredible movie, I was absolutely entranced by the combination of the events and the images before me. The combination of the two was purely overwhelming, and my poor brain couldn't wrap itself around what I saw the first time. So I saw it again. And again. And again. And then maybe another time. Every single time, I was amazed more, cried more, and was in shock at the beauty of this film. Although probably not labeled an actual tragedy, the lives that the characters lived, the lives that were cut short, and the pain experienced by the most brave men and women in the entire world was absolutely devastating to me. The movie was created in such a way that it was difficult not to feel their pain. You couldn't watch the film and not cry at the deaths of wonderful (and some horrible) characters, characters being forced to leave their families, and at the hope and joy upon the reunion that some of these characters experienced. Some of these events, although not necessarily in a tragedy, were downright tragic to me. 

Along with a story line that I will never forget, the film (created by the notorious Nolan brothers) completely baffled me in terms of visual effects. With most movies, even if it has the most incredible plot, amazing characters, and incredible writing, its can be hard to get past bad visual effects and poorly executed visuals. However, Interstellar connected every possible element in terms of what I was seeing: setting, set design, visual design, et cetera. I was blown away by the images shown me. 

No other movie has affected me as deeply as Interstellar did the first time I saw it, or the most recent (honestly, probably the 20th) time. The combination of tragic events and unbelievable imagery combine to tell an amazing story, in which no single quality of a film takes precedent over the other.