Since bursting into the cinematic lexicon with his neo-noir puzzler Memento over a decade ago, every time filmmaker Christopher Nolan started a new project shrieks and squeals of fans have been sure to follow. He’s earned that following after revamping the Batman saga from the pits of campy self parody (and not for the first time) and reigniting the big-budget mainstream tentpole model with those works as well as original pieces like Inception and The Prestige. As such, his latest, a tightly-wrapped science fiction story with an all star cast has our attention. Even as it’s first teaser trailer reveals absolutely nothing.
We’ve covered the news items of the day when it comes to Interstellar, such as additions to it’s star-laden ensemble cast headed by Matthew McConaughey (on a career high, who appears on his way to receive an Oscar nomination for his work in Dallas Buyers Club) and Anne Hathaway (on her second trip with Nolan after tackling Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises) as well as the barest of facts known about the project. Still all that is know about the plot comes from the ambiguous log-line that the film “chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.”
The teaser itself, which is debuting this weekend on prints of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, reveals even less than that, with stock footage of space travel entwined with beatific shots of cornfields – on first impression it appears Christopher Nolan is channeling Terrence Malick. All while McConaughey narrates the need for wonder and awe in the world, closing with a weathered shot of the actor driving a truck and a peaceful image of a father and daughter looking up at the sky. Are we thoroughly teased? Interstellar opens November 7, 2014, or in keeping with the trailer’s theme of progress, “One year from now.”