(The Hollywood Reporter)

“Wow…just, wow.”

That was my initial reaction while walking out of an IMAX theater in Columbus, Ohio on November 7th following a nearly 3-hour space journey that, like many of the great artists of the modern era, requires only a single name: Interstellar. The director and co-writer, (we could go with one name, but since brothers are involved) Christopher Nolan is famous for his incredible physical sets/playgrounds, realism and grit, amazing, star-studded casting and complex stories that have more satisfying twists and turns than one can ever hope to imagine.

Interstellar fulfills all these “Nolan prerequisites” and manages to take it one step higher…if not two.

The science in this science fiction epic is based on work by renowned theoretical physicist Kip Thorne of Caltech, who also served as an executive producer. The science and intergalactic travel juxtaposed with the emotional relationship of farmer Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and his two children Tom (Timothée Chalamet) and his relentlessly inquisitive daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy) will pull and tug at your heart strings.

FYI – I firmly believe in maintaining movie plot secrets, so, therefore, the intent of this review of sorts is not to reveal any spoilers, but to attempt to put this film into some concise perspective, which for anyone who has seen it, is no easy task.

Interstellar is a movie about exploration, desperation, family, the unknown, love, adventure, solitude, scientific theory, hope, the dynamics of space travel, heartache and pushing oneself to a myriad of limits. Plus, a perfectly placed surprise here and there…Set in the near future, the broad-ranging inspiration for the story and main character Cooper is something he says while sitting alongside his father in-law Donald (John Lithgow) on their dust covered porch late one night: “We used to look at up at the sky and wonder about our place in the stars…now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.”

From the metaphorical curtain rise to the curtain close, this movie is a cinematic labyrinth that will launch its audience through a wormhole of expected and unexpected visuals and circumstances that ultimately gels into an unforgettable experience that is genuinely out of this world, yet deeply rooted in this one. It will hit seemingly every nerve you’ve got for 3 hours for something that feels real and surreal at the same time.

And bridging the real and surreal on the silver screen is, in essence, Christopher Nolan. He does this with the help of his superb wife and business partner Emma Thomas, their production company team (Syncopy Films Inc.) and we cannot forget about Nolan’s screenwriting partner and television producing brother Jonah Nolan. Interstellar was a Nolan family film through and through. Add in a brilliant, cosmically pulsating musical score from good friend and composing partner Hans Zimmer and you quickly realize you are part of something supremely grand.

Quick takeaways: Interstellar is an epic journey, every actor and actress’ performance is the real deal, Mackenzie Foy will damn near bring you to tears and this is a visual and audible experience that showcases what making and seeing movies is all about.

After processing everything featured on Earth and in the film’s multiple galaxies, my verdict (after two IMAX viewings) is simply this:

Wow…I love it.