Interstellar 10th Anniversary - IMAX Experience

It has been 10 years since Christopher Nolan's space odyssey "Interstellar" was released. 10. years... What is time? Will the experience of watching this film evolve a decade later? I grabbed my ticket and drove to the movie coordinates to see for myself.

As I was looking forward to the Interstellar 10th Anniversary IMAX experience, I was anticipating being blown away by the visual scale of space. I was definitely impressed at the images on screen, but the first thing that caught my attention was the powerful sound design. As a drone flies over Coop's head, the majority of the audience flinched with him due to the rumble of the bass and stereo sound crossing the auditorium. The vibrations you feel in your chest as they blast off makes you feel as if you're inside the cockpit. It is no surprise to see that the sound department (including Han Zimmer) received 3 Oscar nominations.

Another thing I noticed, or should I say realized, is that this film is perfectly cast. I say that as someone who doesn't typically enjoy Anne Hathaway projects (no shade, just not my taste of actor). She does exactly what is required of her and does it well. Mathew McConaughey delivers a performances that should have been nominated at the Academy, but has now been reduced to a series of memes. Michael Caine is doing Michael Caine things. Hell, even the brief time Matt Damon (said in South Park voice) is on screen, makes you hate him as a villain (in a film with no real villain, aside from mankind who has devastated Earth's resources). Has there been a better casting job for child vs adult versions of the same character? Murph (Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain & Ellen Burstyn) & Tom's (Timothée Chalamet & Casey Affleck) castings couldn't have been better at both acting ability & similar appearances. Mackenzie deserved more of a career after this role.

A realization I had during this movie was also the age demographic in my showing. I would say the average age was around 25 years old. That means these folks would have been 15 when this was released and many of which did not see it when it was in theaters in 2014. Audible gasps and "wow"s were heard when Saturn would appear or the majesty of the black hole was on screen. I'd glance over and the gentleman next to me had his hands up to his face in both mesmerizing and stressful scenes. When the credits hit, someone in a group behind me was over heard saying "I teared up there a few times there. Definitely one to do plenty of rewatches". Just a couple examples as to the importance of these rereleases.

So what is the IMAX experience after 10 years of Interstellar? To me and the crowd I was with, it was transportive, awe-inspiring, emotional and dare I say life changing. It is a generation's 2001: A Space Odyssey. My respect for the craft and Nolan's approach has always been strong, but it's only been reinforced considering his contributions to film through 2024. 10 years later I realized and appreciate that he utilizes practical effects and locations so well that when CGI is used, you hardly notice it. That ability transports us to the cosmos, has us reimagine possibility and in the end, provide us with hope.