Extra Cinema: Interstellar (12A)

Writer-director Christopher Nolan shoots for the stars with a futuristic thriller, co-written with his brother Jonathan, about mankind’s search beyond this galaxy for a new home to replace a dying planet earth.

Epic in scope and wildly ambitious, Interstellar doesn’t quite achieve its bold vision against the vast backdrop of mankind’s final roll of the dice to avoid extinction.

However, even when this grand futuristic adventure malfunctions, it’s a deeply engrossing meditation on the ties that bind.

Interstellar retains a tight focus on the characters without sacrificing the adrenaline-pumping thrills that fans expect from director Nolan.

Oscar winners McConaughey and Hathaway add emotional heft to their embattled astronauts, and a couple of dense discussions about gravity and love orbit the moon of unintentional hilarity but, thankfully, Nolan avoids the crash and burn.

Rating: 7/10