Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Dylan Thomas’s oft-quoted words find new meaning and depth within Sir Michael Caine’s renowned cockney; though they give but an inkling of what is in store for us as well as for the travellers in Interstellar. Welcome to the world of Interstellar, where the Earth isn’t what it is today. Our planet is reeling from a horrendous blight which has left humanity grappling with starvation and desolation, forcing it to regress into an agrarian society. Farming becomes the order of the day, as dust and gloom shroud the planet in seemingly endless despair; farming no longer is a choice but a necessity because the planet is fast running out of food. So even people like McConaughey’s Cooper- a former NASA pilot and an engineer, turn to farming in order to check the alarming food scenario that prevails in the movie. But as Donald (John Lithgow), Cooper’s father-in-law says, farming was never Cooper’s destiny. And his words come dead true with Cooper getting himself embroiled in NASA’s ambitious Interstellar project. He signs up, packs up and subsequently, flies up. Amelia (Anne Hathaway), Doyle (Wes Bentley) and Rommilly (David Oyelowo) are the fellow voyagers. Now begins the movie. The first instance where your jaw-drop will reach floor-scraping proportions is when the spacecraft glides along the rings of Saturn. And the best part- you find yourself marveling more not at the majestic Rings themselves, but at Nolan’s masterful depiction of the moment. The way he embroiders the light to the subject(s) on-screen mesmerizes and dazzles, just as it frightens and reveals. As the movie progresses, Nolan’s genius bursts forth- not just satisfied with containing itself behind the lens. In fact, at times, it is wholly visible, almost assuming a physical presence. Van Hoytema, Pfister’s replacement, exceeds expectations with his cinematography as he achieves the perfect balance between the vast infinity of space and the confinement the crew journeys in. Nolan takes you on a ride for which you can never prepare. Through space and time, he continually amazes, almost as if it were second nature.  But the movie would have been damp were it not for the glorious and versatile Matthew McConaughey. A description of his performance will command all of the superlatives out there and would still be falling short. He carries the movie on his shoulders, breathing life into Cooper and his labours. Hathaway perfectly complements him and does not disappoint at all.  Mackenzie Foy was splendid too, delivering a short albeit tremendous performance. But Interstellar isn’t just Nolan’s film.  With perhaps one of the greatest background scores in this century (if not the greatest), Hans Zimmer boggles your mind left, right and center. The music adds a whole other dimension to Interstellar, absorbing you into the film’s magical intergalactic marvels. But then again, you can expect no less from the great Zimmer.

On the whole, Interstellar is simply one of the best movies of all time, narrowly edging out A Space Odyssey in its genre. Its got life-changing perspectives and ideas, and forces you to delve deeper within yourself and introspect. It perfectly captures the vast infinity of the Universe, making us realize just how small and insignificant we all are.

So do yourself a favour and leap at the first chance you get to watch this because Interstellar is truly a masterpiece.