Christopher Nolan’s movies have always been huge, but his latest flick “Interstellar” is truly out of this world.

Viewers expecting the comic book overkill of “The Dark Knight” or calculated twists and turns of “Inception” may be taken aback, as Nolan’s latest is certainly a departure from his last two masterpieces.  “Interstellar” seems to drift through space with much less detail and direction than one might expect, although this method of storytelling works well for the film.  It succeeds in grabbing the viewer’s attention almost immediately and holds it for all 169 minutes, never failing to produce an unexpected plot twist or scientific revelation just as the action starts to lull.

The enterprising film is well made, to say the least—its cinematography and special effects are in a class of their own, while solid performances by Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway give life to one of the most ambitious sci-fi scripts of the last decade.  Hans Zimmer’s Oscar-worthy score manages to be both ethereal and intense, adding another dimension to scenes that already have two more than we’re used to.

A significant portion of “Interstellar” was shot on a 70mm IMAX cameras, producing the highest resolution images possible, while maintaining the warmth of analog filmmaking.  Seeing the film in Digital 4K was impressive, but being completely immersed in the hauntingly beautiful scenes of black holes and spacecraft soaring past Saturn is most certainly worth the $20 IMAX ticket price.

While “Interstellar” may not receive the same kind of universal acclaim that Nolan’s films usually afford, his inaugural venture in the complex world of science fiction is an accomplishment nonetheless.  A brilliant fusion of very human elements with strict scientific concepts, “Interstellar” will go down as a triumph of imagination over traditional sci-fi conventions.  It may not be quite as moving as some of Nolan’s past films, but then again, it was never supposed to be.