Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Ambitious intergalactic drama focuses on a father's promise.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
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Where to Watch
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Interstellar
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 54 parent reviews
Parents say this film is emotionally intense, with some strong language and complex themes that may be challenging for younger viewers, particularly those under 13. While many enjoy its depth and visual appeal, others find it confusing and unsuitable for children, suggesting it is more appropriate for teens and adults due to its mature content and substantial running time.
- complex themes
- emotional intensity
- strong language
- age recommendations
- confusing plot
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 217 kid reviews
Kids say this film delivers a visually stunning and emotionally charged narrative that many viewers appreciate, though it poses significant challenges for younger audiences due to its complex storyline. While praised as a cinematic masterpiece, several reviews recommend it for older teens and adults who can grasp the intricate scientific concepts and emotional depths woven throughout the plot.
- stunning visuals
- emotional depth
- complex storyline
- recommended for teens
- challenging content
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Director Christopher Nolan's INTERSTELLAR takes place in a future in which severe drought has killed most of the world's crops, and humans are dying of starvation and disease on a doomed, dust-covered Earth. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a former pilot and engineer who, like the majority of Americans, has had to trade in his defunct career to work as a farmer. Coop's love of science is evident in his 10-year-old daughter, Murphy (Mackenzie Foy), who swears there's a ghost in her bedroom leaving her messages in code. Coop is unbelieving at first but then helps Murph decipher one of the codes, leading them to a secret lab run by Professor Brand (Michael Caine), who heads what's left of NASA. Brand convinces Coop to pilot a life-and-death mission, with the understanding that his time spent in outer space could mean missing many years on Earth, years that he'd be away from his children. As the team tries to survive unthinkable odds, back on Earth, Murph grows into a brilliant scientist (Jessica Chastain) who's obsessed with finding her lost-in-space father.
Is It Any Good?
Unless you're well-versed in the physics of wormholes, don't expect to understand the intricacies of this film's science. Interstellar might deliver unbelievable-sounding scenarios, but it gets the story where Nolan and his brother Jonathan (who co-wrote the film) need it to go—from the dust-smothered and scorched Earth to the dangerous outer reaches of space. The visuals are gorgeous, and not just in space, where Coop and his fellow astronauts—Amelia (Anne Hathaway), Doyle (Wes Bentley), Romilly (David Gyasi), and the wise-cracking militarized robot, TARS, voiced by Bill Irwin—travel from planet to planet, but also back on Earth, where time is passing so quickly that Coop's now-grown children have all but lost faith that they'll see him again.
Occasionally, the time-bending storyline starts to feel like it's stretching time for viewers as well, but somehow the missions—both the one to save humankind and Coop's personal one to see his kids—are compelling enough to keep audiences interested. McConaughey balances the line between dead serious, sarcastic, and heartfelt, and he plays well off of his co-stars (particularly his space team). Both the young and adult versions of Murphy are perfectly cast, and Caine provides elder-statesman gravitas as he did in Nolan's Batman films. As Hathaway's character explains, love is a force that transcends time and space, so if you feel invested in Coop's promise to Murphy (and, to a lesser degree, his son, who grows up to be played by Casey Affleck), you'll forgive some of the confusing and convenient plot loops and concentrate on the possibility that at some point, this father will embrace his children again.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Interstellar is similar to and different from other thoughtful space movies—like Gravity, Contact, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. How would you describe it to friends: as a sci-fi movie, a thriller, or a family drama? Which aspect of the film did you enjoy the most?
Does the violence in the movie seem less upsetting when it's human vs. nature instead of human vs. human? Why do you think Professor Brand keeps quoting Dylan Thomas' poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"? What does the poem mean?
Director Christopher Nolan is known for movies with psychological themes that play with time, space, memory, etc. How is Interstellar like his other films? How is it a departure?
How would you describe the parent-child relationships in this movie? Are they realistic? Relatable?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 5, 2014
- On DVD or streaming : March 31, 2015
- Cast : Matthew McConaughey , Anne Hathaway , Jessica Chastain
- Director : Christopher Nolan
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Run time : 169 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some intense perilous action and brief strong language
- Awards : Academy Award - Other Category Winner , Academy Award - Other Category Nominee , BAFTA - BAFTA Winner , BAFTA - BAFTA Nominee , Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Nominee
- Last updated : December 22, 2025
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