EvilBaldDude

That almost sounds like a contradiction in terms, after the last three efforts. For the first time in decades, we have a Star Wars film with a good, solid story that hangs together. It also ties in nicely with Episode IV.

There is a great multinational cast. The acting is good, and the characters are unusually believable and vivid for a Star Wars film.

It is still your classic space opera, with space battles, laser gunfights, and the usual smorgasbord of visuals. However, there are darker, more gritty elements in the story. Some Star Wars devotees might find that a bit of a con, preferring their entertainment more lighthearted. There are others, though, for whom it makes the film more absorbing.

I liked that Chris Pine's portrayal of Kirk is no longer the annoyingly cocky know-it-all that he was in the previous films. He's become more mature, stiff upper lipped, someone you can imagine really being in command of something. And like the original Captain Kirk, he's learned how to be gracefully cocky.

Unlike the previous two films, the logical, unemotional Mr Spock didn't have an emotional hissy-fit and brain anybody. In short, he was much like the real Spock.

Like the majority of Star Trek films, the plot didn't make a staggering amount of sense. That's a pity. But still it was fun.

I found it really strange that they hired a brilliant dramatic actor like Idris Elba, then completely covered his face with latex, and made him talk with an almost indecipherable accent. But heh, his name's on the credits. That's the important thing, right?

However, the key to a making a good sci film, as with any other genre, is a good story. That's where this film hits the mark.

Despite being set in a very grim future, in which the world is in some kind of vaguely explained environmental crisis, love and family are strong themes. If that sounds too schmalzy, now's the time to get off.

As sci fi films go, it is not especially realistic. It is not a documentary, and requires the viewer to suspend disbelief. However, there are no whoosh, or pew pew sounds. In this universe, space is silent, and there's no artificial gravity (unless you count centripetal force). Interstellar has ditched a lot of the tired, clichéd sci fi motifs that date back to the original Star Wars. It does have a wisecracking robot though.

If I have one criticism of the film, it is that it is perhaps a little too long. I give it an extra star for trying something new with the genre though, and being one of the few contemporary sci films not to rip off George Lucas.