“Interstellar,” first released in October of 2014, was directed by the renowned Christopher Nolan, written in a joint effort between himself and his brother, Jonathan Nolan. On a budget of $165 million, the film has raked in $759 million at the box office in seven releases, as per Box Office Mojo. 

“Interstellar” sits at a solid 8.7 out of 10 on IMDb, 74 on Metacritic and 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for five Academy Awards at the 2015 Oscars, winning the Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. The film has won dozens of other awards.

Its simulation of the appearance of a black hole led to the publication of three scientific papers: arXiv:1502.03809, arXiv:1502.03808 and ACM: SIGGRAPH 2015. Few other movies that reach Hollywood can claim to spawn new knowledge in general relativity, quantum cosmology and computing.

The movie’s incredible critical reception is the result of nearly seven years of work to make the script and visual effects as scientifically accurate as possible — to make the movie a marvel of visuals, foley and music. There’s only one problem: it’s simply not that good.

The problem with the film lies in its storytelling. “Interstellar” is a film with a chronic disrespect for its audience. The movie’s runtime is bloated to 169 full minutes — nearly three hours — by a script that feels the need to explain every single thing that happens on screen.

The problem becomes apparent at the very point where — spoiler alert — the ship is about to enter the wormhole. Our protagonist, Joseph Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, looks upon the wormhole he may die in, probably thinking of his children.

What would best fit this somber moment for Cooper, a brief place to take a breath before the movie gets really intense? An explanation of what the wormhole does, according to Nolan. Never mind that Cooper already knew what a wormhole was just minutes prior.

Approaching the turning point of the film, the audience is treated to a pencil-and-paper explanation of wormholes. Not the physics or extra context needed for the film, just generally what they do. This is the third time the film explains this very wormhole.

But I’m probably not even the 100th person to complain about this scene, which is just a few moments long. So let’s skip to the end. Obviously, spoilers ahead.

Let us set the scene before we continue. Imagine seeing this film in theaters, north of two hours into its runtime. It’s been an intense ride so far, and the film is only just about to reach its actual climax. Cooper approaches the black hole, and he must do it alone.

In the black hole, he finds cubes nested in cubes, each containing moments of the past which can only be affected from a small section of a single bookcase in a bedroom of the Cooper family home. 

At the emotional peak of the film, the audience watches Cooper piece together the whole story, desperately trying to reach his past self, though he already remembers ignoring these messages. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

So what better time for Cooper’s robot companion, TARS (who is remarkably charming for a weird cube) to explain what’s happening to the audience? In the middle of the scene, TARS reveals it’s also here and explains exactly what the audience has already figured out.

TARS explains basically just what Cooper is already doing — that he could send the black hole data back in time. He does this by encoding it in morse to a wristwatch he gifted his daughter, hoping she’ll figure it out. Unfortunately, it circumvents the tension entirely.

The film wraps on Cooper — due to time dilation — in the future that he created when he sent those messages from inside the black hole. He sees his daughter for probably the last time on her deathbed. Humanity is saved by his actions, and the credits roll.

The resolution’s impact would be much more felt if the audience wasn’t given an explanation from the computer about exactly how everything will be totally fine. It’s especially frustrating after three full hours of these explanations.

Now imagine walking out of the theater. If you’re a bitter loser like me, you went to eat dinner and pretended it was a good movie. Well, Christopher Nolan, I am not impressed. Make a better movie next time. I rate it 4/10 Matt Damon cameos.

Zien can be reached at [email protected].