Among the greatest qualities that Interstellar possesses is the beautiful cinematography provided by director Christopher Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema. For a film with a lot of brainy science and far out concepts, Interstellar manages to look absolutely stunning, while at the same time remaining grounded with reality-based concepts. Nothing looks out of place, nothing looks too weird, everything is absolutely stunning.
With that in mind, we’ve thought back over the movie and singled out the five most incredible shots Interstellar managed to achieve, leaving us stunned and wide eyed throughout its run time.
Passage Through The Wormhole
Interstellar's visual effects are most extensively shown in sequences where space/spacial anomalies are most prominently featured. One such example that helped make the movie a visual feast was the sequence where the Endurance crew is first mounting their entry into the wormhole. Between the spherical shape of the wormhole itself and the interior effects of said wormhole, the sequence is the first real eye popper of the film, and it doesn't skimp on the beauty.
Mann's Planet
Considering how Christopher Nolan worked to use as little green screen and visual effects as he could in his science fiction epic, the Svinafellsjokull glacier was put to good use playing the part of the planet that Dr. Mann finds himself settling down on. The barren landscape makes for some gorgeous, digitally altered locales that look so alien they truly could be a part of another planet. It's different enough from the norm to look exotic, but close enough to reality that it's not so outlandish.
The Drone Chase
The trailers to Interstellar promised nothing short of amazing science fiction imagery, showcasing the deepest, darkest depths of space. Yet, while the Earth of Christopher Nolan's desperate future represents the planet's death rattle, it still has pieces of vibrancy in its decay. The chase through the corn fields early in the first act showcases two of the last sources of color in future Earth - corn and water - in a thrilling chase that almost goes off a cliff. It’s a thrilling moment that shows one of the last fond memories the Cooper family will share.
Journey To Gargantua
Gargantua is a concept that's awed and vexed us ever since we first spotted it in the trailers. Knowing what it is we're actually looking at makes this image all the more exciting, and what awaits inside is even more remarkable. Considering this is the movie that helped even scientific consultant/executive producer Kip Thorne learn new things about wormholes, it's all the more impressive that we're looking at what might be the most accurate depiction of such an anomaly.
Messages From Home
While the epic space photography of Interstellar is what’s grabbing most of audience’s attention, credit must also be given to the shot that conveys the personal stakes involved in the film more effectively than any other. As Matthew McConaughey's Cooper is watching the videos of Tom's maturation over the 23 years he spent on Planet Miller, he starts to break down into a fit of tears. Instead of focusing on the videos and letting Cooper cry off-screen, we see McConaughey full frame, bawling his eyes out. It's effective without overselling, complete with a perfectly paced zoom in.
