The most creative mind in Hollywood applies himself to humanity’s greatest problem. Add to that an impressive star cast, stories in media that how he took inputs from genuine scientists of the subjects and director’s proven track record of creating visual extravaganza - the expectations were really sky high. Some five star ratings in the media only added to my excitement of watching something destined to become a cult classic.
The beginning was promising. The story started building up nicely and we were getting ready for a journey of a lifetime. Concepts like relativity, quantum mechanics, worm and black hole were at the thick of the things and it was almost like a dream come true for me. Then .
Then . things started falling apart. It was almost like Murphy’a Law has taken control of the proceedings(Things which can go wrong will go wrong) of the movie and slowly my wide and expectant eyes gave way to disturbing frown. Entering and exiting black hole as if you are taking a roller coaster ride(scientifically its monumental gravitational force should tear you into billion little shreds), communicating with a robot regarding data on singularity and then passing it on to Earth(inexplicably either by pushing books off their shelves or moving a second’s hand of a wrist watch) and these in turn helping humanity solve the ’quantum theory of gravity’, entering a black hole and reaching the back of your library(out of billions of galaxies housing billion of planets, one of them housing billions of human beings - arrive at the probability; even Lewis Carroll will blush with embarrassment) . one can go on and on.
And ultimately the basic premise - human beings having destroyed the earth and all its other living beings(there was no existence of any other animal throughout the movie) are searching for a new world to spread their’eggs’(germ will be more apt word) and considers this job to be heroic, noble and brave - worthy for highest sacrifice. One begs to ask - why survival of humanity is such a noble act when evidently its effect has been nothing short of catastrophic on the nature in particular and universe in general? It sounds like the repeat of a typical colonial story - occupy a territory, s*ck it dry, throw it away and search for next victim. First world countries has done it on Asia and Africa and now they are ready to do it on Earth. US, the country to which the imaginative director belongs, has more recent experience - Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan - you will get a few more names as the years will pass. Listen carefully and you will find an explanation for the global destruction too - six billion people aspiring for a better living standard. Yes, it is always our population and never their wasteful, extravagant lifestyle(hear the wistful monologue of the protagonist’when everyday was like a Christmas’; will somebody remind him that some day the Party has to stop?).
Yes, in some strange way the movie is enlightening too. It gives us a glimpse of how the best mind in developed world thinks about the current problems(blame everybody else but themselves), their maniac belief in technology solving all problems(even if it needs travel through wormholes and black holes to faraway galaxies) and their utter disregard for other living beings of this planet(they exists, as the bible says, solely for the convenience of mankind).
And lest I forget - there is that mysterious force called’Love’ too; ever ready to conspire to rescue us from impending doom.
So, ultimately the movie turned itself into a caricature in which Quantum Mechanics meets Alice in he Wonderland meets Dil to Pagal Hai. Sad, for it could have done so much more and we were almost ready to be blown away. Sadder because Mr Nolan is having a huge following and such movies may influence his fans(if they need any) to merrily go on living the way they are presently with the absurd hope that their astronauts will carry them to new worlds once they are finished with Earth.
Though I am a virtual nobody in front of towering Mr Nolan, I am tempted to give him an advise - stick to what you understand and do not overreach yourself; do not take the epithets like ’genius’ and ’creative’ so seriously that you come to believe that whatever will come out of your mind will usher a new era for mankind. And lastly, if you are really interested about solving the global environmental problem, read Gandhi rather than Einstein. The problem lies with endless human desire and not with Earth as a planet.
The day we will learn to limit our desire of luxuries, endless economic growth and exploitation of nature, will be the day we will take the first step towards preserving humanity; yes in our own mother planet we call Earth. Try, if you can make a movie on these principles - may be it will not make millions or make your fellow countrymen go’Wow’ - but that will be a step in the right direction.