McConaugheMay Day 6: The Science of Interstellar

Had to watch this because I actually like Interstellar quite a bit (maybe my fave McConaughey?) and I thought it would be a really funny bit to watch two movie-length BTS docs about Interstellar instead of actually engaging with an old favorite I haven't seen in years. Well, well, well. Not so funny now, is it?

McConaughey only appears in this movie insofar as he is the lead character and thus has to be interviewed to get his take. He seems as uninterested in the science as you’d expect an actor to be, and saves most of his praise for director Christopher Nolan’s commitment to practical effects. This isn’t really a movie, despite its presence on Letterboxd and IMDb, and even if it were a movie, it would be exceptionally bad. The worst part might be when noted racist and corporate stooge Elon Musk shows up at the end of one segment to gloat about his private space company (ignoring all the public government funds he gets or the fact that “his” projects rarely work). I never connected with "the science" of Interstellar or really cared if it was real. Neil DeGrasse Tyson talking about how much the movie was science versus fiction is thoroughly boring to me. Theoretically real might as well be fake—I can make up a possibility that could conceivably be true, too, I just get paid [REDACTED] cents a word and don't get "technical advisor" titles on big budget movies. The things that hit me emotionally about Interstellar was the fear of losing time with loved ones to achieve something that might not even be real.

A brief tangent: Something that bugs me about the Chris Nolan discourse is how often people get stuck on his "puzzle box" scripting or his use of practical effects. Like the focus that some moviewatchers have with M. Night Shyamalan and twist endings, I think those critics are missing the forest for the trees. Nolan’s work is all about fatherhood and the creative drive: Can you be a good father and husband when you spend your life away from your family, even if it provides material comfort and safety? It's a much thornier and more interesting angle to view his films, especially when the vast majority of them pretty inarguably point toward "no" with characters giving up their works to return home. Yet, he keeps making films, spending months and years of his life away from his family, honing his art.. You can still dislike Nolan movies for whatever reason you like. I just think that's a weak shot to take, and that you might as well engage a bit more and aim sharper if you're gonna go for it.

Anyway, it wasn't the science that I cared about. It was the emotions (and Matt Damon playing a villain named Adam Mann who is the Real Monster of the movie), so this meant nothing to me. I think the pursuit of space travel, especially now, especially driven by capitalist monsters, has become abhorrent. It's ego-driven and worthless in a world actively destroyed by those same people pushing us to space. Even if it works, we won't be on the shuttles, anyway. We'll be stuck watching someone else live a better life elsewhere while we rot in the dust left in the rockets' wake.