CONCLAVE : Monday 3rd February 2025

I saw the PG Rated 'CONCLAVE' at the Open Air Cinema at Mrs. Macquarie's Chair this week, overlooking the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the CBD. This UK and US Co-Produced film is Directed by Edward Berger and is based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Robert Harris. Edward Berger's previous film credits take in 'Jack' in 2014, 'All My Loving' in 2019 and the critically acclaimed and multi award winning 'All Quiet on the Western Front' in 2022. This film had its World Premiere screening at last years Telluride Film Festival in late August, was released in the US in late October, in the UK in late November, cost US$20M to produce, and has so far grossed US$92M. It has received generally positive critical reviews and has so far collected 59 award wins and another 294 nominations, many of which are still pending a final determination, from around the awards and festival circuit, including eight Academy Award nods. 

The films opens with the dead body of the pope lying peacefully in his bed where he passed away several hours before. It is the early hours of the morning and already sitting beside the late pope's bedside are Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) and Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) - two of his closest Cardinals. Into the room in the early hours of the morning comes dean Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), and shortly thereafter the body is prepared before being removed (rather unceremoniously) by a pair of Ambulance men. Under the leadership of Lawrence, the College of Cardinals must convene in a Conclave, to elect the next pope. 

There are four leading candidates, all of whom have their sights set on the next papacy. These are Bellini of the US, Tremblay of Canada, Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) of Italy and Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) of Nigeria. Janusz Wozniak (Jacek Koman), the prefect of the papal household, has information for Lawrence that the late pope demanded Tremblay's resignation on the night he died. Lawrence confronts Tremblay with this news, which he vehemently denies. Bellini tells his supporters his goal is to prevent Tedesco from becoming pope, because he is way too traditional in his views of the role of the pope. 

Meanwhile, Lawrence is taken aback by the last-minute arrival of Archbishop Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz) of Kabul, whom the late pope named cardinal the previous year in secret. None of the one hundred or so Cardinals had any prior knowledge of Benitez existence up that point, and Lawrence had no reason to doubt his claims as genuine.

After the first ballot is counted, no one obtains the required two-thirds majority, though Adeyemi has a slight edge and Bellini and Lawrence split the liberal vote. Raymond O'Malley (Brian F. O'Byrne), Lawrence's assistant, does some background digging on Benitez, where he learns the late pope paid for his plane ticket to Geneva for a canceled medical appointment. On the second day, while the Cardinals were gathered for lunch, the college witnesses a confrontation between Adeyemi, who leads in the votes, and Sister Shanumi (Balkissa Maiga), a nun recently transferred from Nigeria to Vatican City. After Adeyemi storms out of the lunch room, Lawrence privately speaks with Shanumi, who confesses to an illicit relationship that led to the birth of a son, albeit some twenty years ago. Lawrence then confronts Adeyemi with this news, and asks him is he wishes to confess. Though Lawrence is bound to secrecy by order of the Confession, a whisper campaign puts an end to Adeyemi's candidacy. Bellini thereafter, reluctantly decides to back Tremblay.

Working with Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), the nun overseeing the cardinals' catering and housekeeping arrangements, Lawrence learns that Tremblay arranged for Shanumi's transfer. When confronted, Tremblay claims that he did so at the late pope's request. Lawrence then breaks into the late pope's quarters and discovers documents that implicate Tremblay did so, but without the pope's consent. He shows the documents to Bellini, whose plea not to reveal their existence sparks an argument. Lawrence has Sister Agnes copy the document for every member of the college.

On the third day, following the revelation of Tremblay's actions, Lawrence reconciles with Bellini and agrees to oppose Tedesco. Lawrence votes for himself during the sixth ballot, which is interrupted by an explosion that knocks him to the floor and damages the Sistine Chapel, covering many of the Cardinal's in dust and debris, and none are seriously injured. 

The college learns the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber who detonated himself near the Vatican, killing about a dozen in the crowd, and injuring many more. Tedesco calls for a religious war, while Benitez says that violence should not be met with violence. The college overwhelmingly elects Benitez in the seventh ballot, and he chooses the papal name of 'Innocent'.

Lawrence is initially enthusiastic and relieved, until O'Malley pulls him aside to discuss the nature of Benitez's canceled medical appointment . . . and I'll leave it there, for to tell of the twist in this tale will likely spoil it for those who have yet to see 'Conclave'. Needless to say, you won't have seen that one coming!

With 'Conclave' Director Edward Berger has here crafted a film aimed squarely at a more mature audience, looking for good old fashioned high stakes drama underscored by a first rate all on their A-game cast, top notch cinematography, and a taut riveting story that will maintain your unwavering interest right up until the end. This film has political intrigue, some real laugh out loud moments, and all the plot twists and turns that you could possibly hope for all wrapped up in a neat entertaining package that is well worth the price of your movie ticket and will keep you enthralled for its two hour run time. 

'Conclave' merits five claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON : Tuesday 31st October 2023.

In my first trip to a movie theatre in a month, I saw the MA15+ Rated 'KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON' this week. This American epic Western crime drama film is Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Martin Scorsese, who needs no introduction I'm sure, and is based on the 2017 non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann. The film, which cost a reported US$200M, had its World Premiere screening in late May this year at the Cannes Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim, and went on worldwide release on the 19th October. It marks the sixth feature film collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio and the tenth between Scorsese and De Niro. The film has so far grossed US$88M.

The film opens with elders of the Osage tribe of native American Indians sullenly burying a ceremonial pipe, and grieving over their descendants' assimilation into White American society. Wandering through their Oklahoma reservation, which features the annual 'flower moon' phenomenon of larger plants killing off smaller ones in Springtime, several Osage tribesmen are seen dancing as oil bursts from the ground and rains down the black gold on them. The tribe needless to say becomes very wealthy, as it retains mineral rights, and members share in oil-lease revenues, making them the wealthiest people on earth per capita. However, the law requires court-appointed guardians to manage the financial return to full and half-blood members, assuming them to be 'incompetent'.

In 1919, the money hungry and largely unintelligent Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns from World War I, where he worked as a field cook, to live with his very wealthy uncle William King Hale (Robert De Niro) on his large reservation ranch in Fairfax. Oklahoma. Hale, is a reserve deputy sheriff popularly known as 'King', who masquerades as a friendly benefactor of the Osage, speaking their language and bestowing gifts upon them, but he has ulterior motives and secretly schemes to kill them off and steal their wealth. He tells Ernest, who now works as a cab driver, to court Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), an Osage whose family owns oil headrights. 

A romance develops, and the two are married in a grand wedding. Hale meanwhile plots the deaths of several wealthy Osage. He tells Ernest he will inherit more headrights if more of Mollie's family dies, with her mother Lizzie Q (Tantoo Cardinal) already quite ill and knocking on death's door. After Mollie's sister Minnie (Jillian Dion) dies of a mysterious illness, Hale orders Ernest’s brother Byron (Scott Shepherd) to kill Mollie’s other sister, the rebellious Anna (Cara Jade Myers). Lizzie and the Osage tribal council blame the reservation's white folks for the deaths and urge the tribe to stand their ground and fight back. A newsreel of the 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma causes further concern among the Osage that a similar attack could occur on their land. Lizzie dies shortly afterward in her bed.

Despite everything Ernest genuinely loves Mollie and they have children. Hale, however, persuades Ernest to poison Mollie’s insulin which she is prescribed for her diabetes, and is led to believe that she is only one of five people in the entire world to benefit from this treatment, which Hale is paying for. Ernest is in denial about the damage it’s causing, as Hale insists it merely 'slows her down'. Mollie’s condition continues to deteriorate. Hale orders the death of Henry Roan (William Belleau), Mollie's first husband whom she married when she was just fifteen years old, to collect the sum of US$25K which Hale had insured his life for, and has Ernest organise the murder. However, Ernest messes up the killing, so Hale, being a member of the Mason's, brutally beats his backside with a wooden paddle. Hale then orders Ernest to arrange the murders of Rita (JaNae Collins), Mollie's last remaining sister, and her husband Bill Smith (Jason Isbell), by blowing up her house with the explosives laid by Acie Kirby (Pete Yorn) a local expert in such matters. Mollie inherits all her family's headrights.

Mollie hires William J. Burns (Gary Basaraba), a private detective, but he gets severely beaten up and is chased out of Fairfax by Ernest and Byron. Despite her illness, Mollie travels to Washington with an Osage delegation and begs President Calvin Coolidge for help. The Bureau of Investigation (BOI) sends Agent Tom White (Jesse Plemons) and several other agents, and they quickly uncover the truth concerning the series of murders and who is behind them. Hale attempts to cover his tracks by murdering several of his own hired killers, but White arrests him and Ernest. The agents find Mollie severely ill and have her admitted to hospital where she receives proper medical care and in time recovers. 

Agent White convinces Ernest to confess and turn state's evidence against Hale. W. S. Hamilton (Brendan Fraser), Hale's attorney, tries to convince Ernest to claim he was beaten and tortured while in custody, and to recant. After one of his daughters dies of whooping cough, Ernest decides to follow through with testifying against his uncle, with Prosecutor Peter Leaward (John Lithgow) leading the charge here. Hale unsuccessfully tries to have Ernest murdered. Mollie meets with Ernest a last time, but leaves him when he will not admit to poisoning her. 

A filmed report for a radio show sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes, provides a closing update. Ernest and Hale were both convicted and received life sentences. They were, however, paroled after many years of serving jail time, despite protests to the parole board by the Osage. Byron served no prison time, due to a hung jury. Doctors James and David Shoun (Steve Witting and Steve Routman respectively), who had given Ernest poison to administer to Mollie along with insulin, and were implicated in other 'wasting deaths', were not prosecuted due to 'lack of evidence'. Mollie divorced Ernest after the trial. She remarried and died of diabetes at the age of fifty in 1937. She was buried with her family - parents, sisters and daughter. Her obituary did not refer to the Osage murders that came to be known as the 'Reign of Terror'.

'Killers of The Flower Moon' is a talkfest of a film interspersed with moments of unforgivable violence meted out on the Osage peoples. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with that, as we have seen recently with Christopher Nolan's epic biopic 'Oppenheimer' which was made for half of what Scorsese spent to bring this epic to the big screen and grossed almost ten times that amount and still counting, where as for all the justifiable praise heaped on this film it is hardly likely to make back its production budget! That said, Scorsese has here crafted a meticulous work of cinematic art - from the top notch production design, to the formidable acting talent on display, to the sweeping vistas and the rotten corrupt truth of how the white man tried to eradicate the first nations people of America all in the name of greed, jealousy and ultimately murder. A must see film on the big screen, if nothing else than to be taught a valuable history lesson, for me this film is good, very good in fact, but its not great, and at a runtime of just a nudge under three and a half hours it does labour in places.

'Killers of The Flower Moon' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

BOMBSHELL : Tuesday 21st January 2020.

'BOMBSHELL' which I saw earlier this week is an M Rated American biographical drama film Directed by Jay Roach whose previous Directorial credits take in 'Blown Away', the three 'Austin Powers' instalments, 'Mystery, Alaska', 'Meet the Parents', 'Meet the Fockers', 'Dinner for Schmucks', 'The Campaign' and 'Trumbo' more recently. The film was released in the US in mid-December, has received generally positive Reviews, and has so far grossed US$35M from its US$32M production budget. Among its haul of fifteen award wins and 53 other nomination so far, the film has at the 92nd Academy Awards, earned three nominations: received two nominations at the 77th Golden Globe Awards; four at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards and three at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards.

Here, the film centres upon the female Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), and journalist and television commentator Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) in Manhattan, and their sexual harassment allegations on 6th July 2016 against the founder of Fox News Roger Ailes (John Lithgow). Ailes heads up Fox News, the #1 ranking conservative news channel on television which he built from the ground up. Kelly is one of the most popular newscasters on primetime news and is a co-moderator of the 2016 Republican Presidential debate, in which Trump is running, supported by Ailes and the Fox News channel.

On the day of the debate, Kelly becomes physically sick and vomits several times. She rests up in her hotel bedroom for five hours before the debate goes live. Awake and somewhat refreshed she questions Donald Trump on several recorded derogatory comments he has made about women in the past. In retaliation, he Tweets insults about her, and other supporters of Trump follow suit. One reporter sneaks into Kelly's back yard at their home to photograph her daughter through the closed windows, prompting Kelly's husband, Douglas (Mark Duplass), to see off the intruder. Later when Kelly is recounting this to Ailes in his office he says that perhaps someone tried to poison her on the day of the debate by spiking her Starbucks coffee. Fox then hires a security crew for Kelly.

Carlson meanwhile is removed unceremoniously from the popular daily morning show 'Fox and Friends' and relegated to a much less popular afternoon timelsot with a cut in her pay too. Swamped by sexist comments on and off the air, Carlson meets with lawyers who tell her how Rudi Bakhtiar (Nazanin Boniadi) - a Fox News Channel general correspondent, reporting on major international news stories was fired after accusing Brian Wilson (Brian d'Arcy James) - a former anchor reporter for Fox News Channel of sexual harassment back ten years ago, and the matter was largely swept under the carpet by Ailes. At Carlson's behest, they plan to file a harassment suit against Ailes but tell her that she'll need evidence and testimony from other women who have been similarly harassed over the years.

Kayla Pospisil (an amalgam of real life Fox News characters for the purpose of the film as portrayed by Margot Robbie) is Fox's newest hire, who works with Carlson, but soon accepts a job on 'The O’Reilly Factor'. Bill O'Reilly (Kevin Dorff) fires her on her first day on the job. Feeling sorry for herself she gets drunk and sleeps with Fox's Jess Carr (Kate McKinnon) after a night on the town in which Carr offers Pospisil plenty of inside advice on how to navigate the cutthroat world of television news. When they wake up, Pospisil says she's not a lesbian and is surprised to see Carr's Hillary Clinton poster stuck to her fridge door. Asked why a liberal lesbian would work for Fox, Carr says she applied for numerous jobs over the years, but Fox hired her, and now no one else will.

Pospisil later is invited to Ailes' office, for an impromptu 'interview'. Ailes one condition in fast tracking a career is that he asks for undivided loyalty from his people, and he asks Pospisil to consider a way in which she can demonstrate her loyalty. He asks her to stand up and do a 'twirl' and then makes her lift her skirt to show him her underwear, on the basis that TV news is a 'visual medium'. He compliments her on her figure. She later tells Carr, who says she can't get involved for fear of drawing undue attention to herself as a lesbian in the very male dominated and conservative workplace.

Carlson broadcasts on air that she supports the semi-automatic assault weapons ban, although a news poll live to air indicates that 89% of the audience do not, prompting Ailes to summons her. She's fired and is given no clear reasons for why. She decides to sue Ailes. He meets with his wife, Beth (Connie Britton), and attorneys Susan Estrich (Allison Janney) and Rudy Giuliani (Richard Kind), and naturally vehemently denies the absurd allegations. All female staff members are asked to stand with Fox, and most do, but Kelly doesn't comment, secretly weighing up her options.

When the law suit is filed and made public in the newspapers and on the news channels around the country, Carlson's hopes and expectations are quickly splintered when no other women come forward. Viewers quickly turn on her saying that her allegations are made up hearsay and carry no weight. Kelly however, attempts to find other women, including Pospisil, who were sexually harassed by Ailes or O’Reilly.

Pospisil over the phone to Carr one evening says she obeyed Ailes sexual advances to safeguard her career but now has regrets and wants to come forward. Kelly in turn speaks up about her own sexual harassment claims against Aisles and learns that 22 other women will too. Estrich is called out of the room expecting Carlson to settle out of court, but returns confronting Ailes and his wife, with the news that Carlson has secretly recorded their conversations over the course of a whole year, and on that basis she will win the case against him. 

Ailes meets with Fox co-creator Rupert Murdoch (Malcolm McDowell) and his two sons Lachlan (Ben Lawson) and James (Josh Lawson), who tell him he'll be fired, and hands him a written note with a severance payment as a first and final offer, no further discussion. Ailes asks to break the news with Murdoch back at the office in front of his team personally, but Rupert refuses. When Murdoch arrives at the Fox News Offices, stands up in front of the gathered staffers and says he's taking over Fox as interim CEO, Carr remains silent. Pospisil, knowing she'll be fired, walks out the door and quits on the spot.

Meanwhile, Carlson is awarded US$20M in damages and an apology from Fox but cannot speak about her case. The closing credits reveal that Fox paid out a further US$50M in compensation to the Fox victims of sexual harassment and abuse, and that between them Ailes and O'Reilly received US$65M in severance payments. Ailes died on 18th May 2017.

This is a thought provoking, darkly satirical, yet infinitely entertaining and informative film about the horrific events of years of bigotry and sexual harassment that unfolded at Fox News just a few short years ago, which makes it all the more relevant, all the more fresh in the mind and all the more compelling to watch. The four key cast members are all excellent in their roles, with Theron nailing her portrayal of Kelly in every detail, Robbie outstanding as the enthusiastic young gun who gets in way too far over her head, Kidman stoic as the determined put upon Carlson who is short changed as a character and could have done with more screen time with Theron and Robbie, and of course Lithgow as the morally corrupt and all powerful big boss of them all, and who ultimately gets his comeuppance. The production values are first rate, the script smart, the dialogue snappy and the film moves along at a good pace. Director Jay Roach here weaves a true story that needs to be told, and one that needs to be seen as the launchpad for the #MeToo movement that was also the subject of a seven part TV miniseries last year 'The Loudest Voice' with Russell Crowe in a highly acclaimed portrayal of Roger Ailes. Certainly worth the price of your cinema ticket.

'Bombshell' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES : archive from 16th August 2011.

The image of Charlton Heston peering up at the half buried Statue of Liberty poking out of the sand, in the closing minute of the 1968 'Planet of the Apes' film would rank as one of the most iconic images in film history. Anyone who has seen this film nearly always refers to that one scene when Heston's character - George Taylor comes to the realisation that he is in fact on planet Earth at some undisclosed future date and there is every chance that he is stuck there with little or no way of getting back to his own world. This film spawned a movie franchise, a spin off television series, an attempted reboot courtesy of Tim Burton in 2001, and now a whole new imagining in 2011 - 43 years after Heston's future world offering.

And so, with great expectation and eager anticipation, I saw 'RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES' last night. I have to say that this is powerful and respectable retelling of the classic 60's novel that has had so many big and small screen treatments go before it. But here, once again, we have a whole new audience who will know very little about that rich back catalogue, hence this new updated take. This origin story Directed by Rupert Wyatt, sets the tone for a new franchise updated for 2011 from the Apes perspective.

Here we have an ape - Caesar (Andy Serkis yet again proving he is the king of mo-cap and the king of the apes!) that is being raised in largely domestic surroundings in a San Francisco suburb by scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) who works for biotechnology company 'Gen-Sys'. Caesar's mother was killed in the lab some years earlier while being tested upon for a cure for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's using an experimental viral drug known as ALZ-112. The 112 virus was passed genetically onto Caesar who now growing, is showing increasing signs of intelligence and human-like ability.

Various events unfold that lead to Caesar being locked up in a shelter with other chimps where he is treated cruelly by the keeper, and the other chimps. But Caesar is no ordinary monkey and he learns quickly to break free from his cage, gain access to a common area and overcome the alpha male chimp. At the same time 'Gen-Sys' has taken the drug to the next level with ALZ-113 now in a gaseous form and ready for testing. Rodman takes several canisters home for intended use on his dying father in a last ditch attempt to save him from the ravages of age, cancer and Alzheimer's, and, is able also to have Caesar released with the intention of taking him home too, but Caesar escapes, gets there first, steals a number of the drug canisters and makes off.

The now motivated Caesar returns to the lock-up and sprays the other chimps and apes with ALZ-113 so enhancing their cognitive and intellectual powers overnight. They then escape releasing all from that compound and do likewise with all the simian inmates at San Francisco Zoo too. The set piece of the films is staged on the Golden Gate Bridge as ape and human armies collide with the police forces attempting to halt the apes path to the forested San Francisco hinterland. The apes however, having grown strong physically, in numbers, in their determination and in their motivation overcome the human barricade and flee to the hills but not before a path of destruction has been left in their wake.

As the film draws to a close we see and hear Caesar utter his first human words to Rodman who has given chase in an attempt to warn his ape friend that the humans will hunt them and kill them without mercy, and that Caesar should return home - to which Caesar replies 'Caesar is home!'. As the credits roll we see the neighbour of Rodman leave for work as an airline pilot. He was previously infected by the new ANZ-113 drug that has adverse effects on humans but not on apes. As he arrives at San Francisco International Airport for his flight to Paris, his nose drips blood onto the ground. The closing graphic shows the spread of the virus rapidly across the world via airline travel, and the consequences this will have on the future of humanity, and the rise of the apes!

Disturbing in some ways but compelling viewing & well executed in many others. James Franco, John Lithgow (as Charles Rodman - Will's father and tester of ALZ-112), Brian Cox (as John Landon - the manager of the primate shelter where Caesar finds himself holed up for a while) and David Oyelowo (as Rodman's boss at 'Gen-Sys') all do well, but Andy Serkis steals the show with his powerful take on Caesar, laced with solid storyline that comes to this updated telling with a fresh approach and the latest technology to take the series to the next level. Recommended viewing, and you can now catch 2014's 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' and watch the two back to back! 'Rise' was made for US$93M and grossed US$482M which when coupled with 'Dawn' at a US$709M take, make for a very successful franchise so far!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

INTERSTELLAR - Tuesday 11th November 2014.

And so, one of the most highly anticipated, eagerly awaited event movies of the year has been released, and so I caught Christopher Nolan's deep space Sci-Fi epic 'INTERSTELLAR' earlier this week with a bunch of movie buddies as my local big screen multiplex. I emphasise 'big screen' because you need to see this film on the biggest big screen you can to be truly inspired by the vastness of the images portrayed as the brothers Nolan (Christopher wrote the screenplay with brother Jonathan) take us into the deepest recesses of space where no man has gone before!


This is an adventurous, epic story that visually is stunning and well crafted. Made for US$165M and running for ten minutes shy of three hours, the pace of the film sucks you in and the before you know it the end credits are rolling. The story takes place in a near future Earth when mankind is looking down the barrel of extinction - the soil we have toiled for millennia is turning to dust and is wind-blown in every direction in storms that blow hard and frequently. All but corn now can be grown in these harshest of conditions, and soon we learn even corn will perish - within the next generation the Scientists tell us...and this will mark the end for humankind. Living on a farm growing corn for as far as the eye can see is Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) with his two children Murph and Tom (Mackenzie Foy and Timothee Chalamet) and father-in-law Donald (John Lithgow). Cooper's wife died a few years back we are told. Cooper is eking out an existence on his dust bowl farm, and he is a former astronaut with NASA but flew his last voyage more than ten years ago - that space agency now decommissioned because the expense could not be justified when all we can grow is corn and mankind is destined to die out.

Cooper has his feet firmly planted on the ground but his eyes and mind are looking ever upward - knowing that mankind's future lies beyond our own planet. He is an everyman and someone we can relate to immediately - there are no heroics or histrionics here to dwell on, McConaughey gives a solid believable performance. One evening by chance he and Murph stumble across a restricted site in the middle of nowhere, and this is where his life and mankind's possible salvation change for ever. Enclosed in this remote underground bunker remain the last vestiges of NASA operating covertly with a series of ships and a space station under construction, whose mission is to explore distant worlds that are capable of sustaining the human race of the future. Overseen by Professor Brand (Michael Caine) with his daughter Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway) we learn that a wormhole has opened close to Saturn and this is the possible gateway for mankinds future. Several ships have already been dispatched to explore, but signals are weak now in coming back and there are fears for the safety of those gone previously.

And so quickly Cooper is enlisted to captain the last voyage to distant far away planets given his previous life as an astronaut, but there is a catch of course. The wormhole is located off Saturn - a two year journey to get there, and then what's beyond the worm hole is anybody's guess! Furthermore, time passes far more quickly on Earth than it does in deep space, and so when Cooper eventually returns home it may be too late for mankind anyway. Bidding his children farewell (aged 10 and 15) he says to Murph that when he does come back they will probably both be the same age! Little does he know! She is distraught, and so Cooper leaves on bad terms, not knowing if he will ever see his daughter again.

And so Cooper departs with a crew of three others aboard the 'Ranger' to hook up with space station 'Endurance' floating above the Earth's atmosphere (a circular formation long-haul deep space pedestrian practical people carrier that resembles nothing like the stark clinical ship as seen in Kubricks' '2001: A Space Odyssey') - Amelia Brand (a biologist), Romilly (a physicist played by David Gyasi), Doyle (a geographer played by Wes Bentley) and two A.I. Robots - TARS and CASE accompanying him. As Endurance hurtles towards Saturn we see Nolan's first stunning visuals of space and what is contained therein. The approach to Saturn sees Endurance as a pin-prick gliding by the vast rings of this distant planet, with the approaching spherical wormhole in the distance through which they must travel into the unknown.

The visuals are rendered beautifully, as Saturn is left behind and Endurance is buffeted through the wormhole to emerge battered but intact though the other side. New galaxies are revealed as giant planets and constellations come into view, and it is amidst these that three have been identified that could be habitable for humans and to which the previous ships have thus far ventured and from which signals have been/are being received. And so the journey against time continues as we discover that gravitational pull from these planets causes time dilation, and so for every hour that passes for them now, seven years passes back on Earth - and time is quickly running out for humanity.

In the video clips sent back and forth we see Murph and Tom growing up (Jessica Chastain plays the now older middle-aged Murph, and Casey Affleck the older Tom), but Cooper has hardly aged at all. Murph is now working for Professor Brand, and Tom is married and has a child and still lives on the farm growing an ever depleting corn crop. Donald has since passed way. As one by one The Endurance and The Ranger visit the three planets so local issues, trials and tribulations confront them - often with dangerous consequences that result in a rethink of the time they have left, compromising situations and lateral thinking by the remaining crew. There are no aliens or otherworldly creatures in this film to stand in the way of our intrepid explorers - the challenges are of natural or human conditions to which they must respond, react and regroup quickly.

Without giving too much more away suffice to say Cooper is eventually rescued against all the odds, but as he floats semi-conscious in space for him only hours have passed, but on Earth another three or four decades have moved on so allowing for the development of the technology to enable his rescue ultimately. As the final chapter plays out Cooper comes round on a new space station and Murph is being flow in - she is now in her eighties (played by Ellen Burstyn) and on her death bed with her extended family around her. Cooper is still as young looking as the day he left, but in reality he is 120+ years old. In her final words to him, she tells Cooper to go in search for Brand who is stranded on one of the planets that was deemed habitable, and so he does!

Nolan has crafted a fine film, visually very impressive with a story that is grounded in as much fact as the expert theorists will have us believe (a notion that the Nolan's were keen to preserve to ensure the scientific integrity of the film and it's subject matter). This almost plays out as a lesson in science - in Einstein's 'Theory of Relativity', in Stephen Hawking's musings and the writings of Carl Sagan. The acting is spot on and special mention must go to McConaughey's Cooper as the understated, grounded, emotional optimistic explorer that he is. Whilst a Science Fiction film in the broader sense this is an emotional human drama at its heart exploring the life changing decisions we make when confronted with extraordinary circumstances - here at home, and in the far reaches of space.

See this soon, on a very big screen and soak in the spectacle of space, the science, the human drama, the emotion and the energy that Christopher and Jonathan Nolan have crafted. Easily, one of the must-see films of the year.

   

-Steve, at Odeon Online-