Without Star Wars, Christopher Nolan Might Have Never Made His 5th Highest Grossing Movie That Made $715M at the Box-Office
Science is often viewed as a discipline guided solely by logic and reason; it is often disconnected from human emotion. Transcending human emotion into the realm of science is something that rarely emerges in the minds of many, but Christopher Nolan succeeds in doing so. In his mind-blending legendary masterpiece Interstellar, Nolan showed how love can overpower the boundaries of space and time. The luminary director, who often likes telling science in his movies, depicted love in his language of filmmaking.
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar inspired by Star Wars
Interstellar is an absolute masterpiece. It’s not a typical space movie; it’s a work of art that goes beyond the language of cinematic experience. Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar explored the broader meaning of human emotion beyond the confines of space and time. Referring to old filmmaking legends, Nolan’s Interstellar resembles the context of Stanley Kubrick’s space thriller, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Both movies delve into a futuristic human society in which Earth is extinct to support humans.
Interestingly, Nolan once described his inspiration behind his space masterpiece to the New York Times as being inspired by Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and George Lucas’ 1977 classic Star Wars: A New Hope. He recalled his connection to movies dating back to his childhood when he saw both Kubrick’s and Lucas’s space movies, which ignited his filmmaking ambition and, notably, urged him to experiment with filmmaking using the Super 8 camera.
“I saw Star Wars when I was 7, and the movie changed everything for people my age. They re-released 2001 on the basis of that success, and I went to see it with a bunch of my friends. We all said after watching it, “We don’t know what the hell that means, but it’s exciting. We just wanted spaceships; we wanted space; we wanted that experience of leaving the Earth.”
His early exposure to these movies played a pivotal role in his cinematic career. He believes Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, is the perfect cult space movie to introduce to newcomers. Its thought-provoking concept and suspense-building storyline created a visual spectacle that no other movie of the era could offer.
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar: A decade-defining space epic
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar takes place in a distant future where the Earth is seen depleting. It follows the previous NASA pilot, Joseph Copper (Matthew McConaughey), who embarks on a mission to find a new habitable planet and leaves his dear daughter forever to save human society.
Through the character Murph, the film explores how love can transcend eternal space. The unique blend of emotional storytelling and stunning visuals, along with Hans Zimmer’s score, makes the movie the ideal scientific primer on love.
The timeless space epic became the defining film of Nolan’s career, becoming one of the most successful movies of the decade, grossing a lifetime haul of $715 million at the global box office. The 2014 movie also collected $677 million in its initial theatrical run, along with another $40 million for re-releases, and reigns among Nolan’s top five.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer shines at the global box office
Followed by his Batman movies starring Christian Bale, which redefined the so-called superhero narrative in a neo-noir setting, The Dark Knight Rises with $1.08 billion, and The Dark Knight with $1.006 billion hits the top spot. Christopher Nolan once again proved his versatility in his recent epic biographical drama Oppenheimer, which grossed a staggering $854 million worldwide, compared to Leonardo DiCaprio’s epic sci-fi Inception, which made $829 million, holds the fifth position.
Along with his war genre film Dunkirk, which earned $526 million globally. Other than, Batman Begins, Insomnia, Tenet, and Memento are also regarded as his finest creations. Nolan’s unparalleled versatility and exceptional filmmaking style positioned him as one of the most promising and influential directors of the century.
Watch Interstellar on Paramount+.
Source: The New York Times
