A decade ago, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar imagined a near-future of apocalyptic climate change. Dystopia is a Hollywood commonplace, but part of what made Interstellar different from, say, Planet of the Apes or The Hunger Games was that its future felt and looked very much like our present. As the film marks the 10th anniversary of its release this week, with record high global summer temperatures and a brutal hurricane season underway, Nolan’s bleak vision feels both more relevant and closer at hand than ever. But it’s easier to see the problem than imagine a solution, and in retrospect Nolan’s movie seems to run away from the issue of climate change rather than confront it.

Thank you for signing up!

By clicking submit, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

The movie starts in 2067, with earth facing a catastrophic food shortage because of a global crop blight. Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former NASA pilot, is forced—like most people on earth—to become a farmer to try to raise enough food to feed the population. Bored with his lot, he leaps at the chance to fly a last ditch mission through a galactic wormhole to find a new planet where the human race can survive and thrive.

There’s a lot (a lot) more plot in the 169 minute movie, including giant waves on alien water worlds, frozen planets, noble droids sacrificing themselves for the greater good, and lots of time dilation. The film is famous for its impressively plausible special effects and epic sweep, building on such touchstones as Star Wars, Alien........

© Observer