Mind-blowing Theory About Interstellar’s Terrifying Water Planet Scene Claims Christopher Nolan is Hiding a Dark Truth in the Background Music
- Interstellar's depiction of time dilation on Miller's planet, which is orbiting a black hole, is based on Einstein's theory of general relativity.
- Hans Zimmer's track 'Mountains' has a ticking sound that hints at time passing on Earth, and each tick represents about 21 hours.
- Hans Zimmer earned his first gold-certified single for 'Cornfield Chase' and continues to gain popularity on social media nearly a decade later.
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is a mind-bending movie about space and time that is still loved by viewers many years after its release. The visuals and complex plot enhance the space adventure. However, what is more commendable is the amount of scientific accuracy the makers ensured in the movie, which separates it from other sci-fi movies.
Interstellar‘s important scenes became more impactful thanks to Hans Zimmer’s background score. The German composer’s work has become legendary in Hollywood, and his collaboration with Nolan goes back to Batman Begins. However, Interstellar‘s music offered something more than an impactful feeling.
Ticking of Mountains, and Time Dilation in Interstellar
The space journey of Interstellar started getting more dramatic when Matthew McConaughey‘s character Cooper and his team reached Miller’s planet. As the crew touched down on this watery world, they got hit by massive tidal waves and extreme time dilation as Miller’s planet was orbiting a black hole named Gargantua.
The science behind this extreme time dilation is explained by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. According to the theory, mass and energy can bend the fabric of space and time. In Interstellar‘s case, Gargantua, being that source of extreme mass, was exerting its effects on Miller’s planet.
For every hour spent on Miller’s planet, 7 years passed back on Earth. The team ended up spending 23 years, 4 months, and 8 days of Earth time after they got hit by a mountain-high tidal wave and their vehicle’s engines failed for some time. The interesting part was that, for the crew, it was just a few minutes of experience.
Here entered Hans Zimmer‘s musical genius. His track Mountains, was playing in the background during the Miller’s planet scene and the music had a constant ticking sound in the background, but this was not just a random metronome.
According to a theory (via Reddit), one tick in the soundtrack represents a day passing on Earth and the calculations also fit perfectly with the theory. As the crew gets closer to the planet’s surface, the ticking speeds up which indicates an increase in the gravitational pull. It is like Zimmer composed a musical representation of time dilation itself.
There are 48 ticks in 60 seconds of the track. After the calculations, it can be concluded that each tick represents about 21 hours on Earth.
Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar Success
Apart from the hidden messages in Interstellar‘s score, Hans Zimmer’s contribution to the film has earned him nominations at the Academy and Grammy Awards and made him the winner of many other awards.
Zimmer recently got his first gold-certified single in the U.S. for Cornfield Chase from Interstellar. According to Forbes, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) handed out this honor after the track hit 500,000 units sold, including both sales and streaming achievements.
This is big for Zimmer as this is his first RIAA certification of any kind although he’s had a long Hollywood career. The Interstellar soundtrack was also commercially successful. According to Forbes, it was at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 which is quite impressive for an instrumental album.
After many years, the score went viral again on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which is another testament to the popularity of Interstellar after almost 10 years since its release. And with theories like the musical representation of time dilation, it becomes more interesting for fans with each passing year.
Interstellar is streaming on Netflix and Prime Video.
