8/10
I enjoyed this more than I expected to, based on the little I had read about it, and ultimately I found myself agreeing with both the general chorus of praises and criticisms it received. Like Inception, it's not a perfect movie by any means, but I certainly am impressed with Nolan's vision and his willingness to make grand, ambitious movies...even if they stumble along the way.
This blurb from John Beifuss (in a favorable review) says it best: "The sentimentality and Hollywoodized convenience of the storytelling prevent this mostly admirable film from achieving the escape velocities of Kubrick or Tarkovsky." That's exactly what I felt. Nolan, for whatever reason, just couldn't shake off those niggling Hollywood annoyances that weighed down his movie in ways that 2001 or Solaris (or even Gravity) were not. From casting McConaughey as the ultimate Hollywood hero (the Single Dad Doing His Best) to the worst offender of all, Matt Damon's awful performance as a horribly cliché character in a horrible cliché act that threatens to sink the entire movie. Thankfully it recovers, but these and other scenes left a bad taste in my mouth in a movie with otherwise great ideas, storytelling, special effects, music, acting, etc.
Okay, so Interstellar probably isn't as mind-melting and high-minded as it wants you to believe it is, but it's pure cinema and I mostly enjoyed myself. I feel like there's a rush to take down Nolan at every possible turn (just as much as there's a rush from the other side to prop him up at every turn) and I don't think as highly of him as a lot of others do but I'm still glad he's around and making movies like these, imperfect as they may be.
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