Ambition is a hard thing to fault.

That’s the phrase that’s been bouncing through my head since last night’s screening of Interstellar, director Christopher Nolan’s latest film.

Ambition not only seems to be the drive of the filmmaker here, but also the film itself.  Set in a not-too-distant future where the Government has been disbanded, most of our crops have died off, we’re constantly dealing with toxic dust clouds, and schools teach that the moon landing was faked - so as to reduce the aspiration to go beyond our dying planet - the status quo of Interstellar is a heavy one. And unfortunately, one we may be heading into ourselves.

But even in the times of darkness, there is the spark of humanity, the inspiration to do more. In the film, our great hope lies within Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a widowed father of two. One of NASA’s last great pilots-in-training, Cooper’s plans to see the stars were ended abruptly, thanks to a combination of a bad test flight, the end of NASA’s funding, and the loss of his wife. Now, alongside his father-in-law Donald (John Lithgow), he tries to make ends meet as a Farmer, raising his children Murphy (Mackenzie Foy) and Tom (TimothÁ©e Chalamet), while growing one of the only crops left - corn.

Time is running out - and after a surreal message thanks to the magic of gravity - Cooper soon finds himself back in the world of NASA, following the audacious hopes of Professor Brand (Michael Caine), piloting mankind’s last hope - a spaceship headed directly into a wormhole, with the goal of finding an inhabitable planet for all of humanity on the other side.

It’s heady, heavy material - as one would expect with a tagline of “Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here.”  And over it’s nearly three hour run time, Interstellar goes farther into the world of space exploration and the good and bad of humanity than any film in recent memory. Christopher Nolan, who directed, produced, and co-wrote the film (alongside his brother Jonathan Nolan, who originally wrote it for Steven Spielberg) has always been a director who aims to match blockbuster stakes with an imbued intelligence with each of his films.  It’s not the average director who decides to set a heist film in a dream, focus on a magician’s deadly rivalry, or set an entire film in reverse order, and Interstellar follows in Christopher Nolan’s path to mix pop art with high-minded film-making.

Interstellar, partially a brain child of theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, can sometimes sway under the weight of deep discussion of physics, time, and relativity (it’s as if Nolan is addressing those who felt Inception didn’t explain enough), but it is the films basis in these concepts - alongside universal human concepts such as love, legacy, survival, and the sins of the father - that adds incredible import to every scene and every sequence.  Before you worry that the film is TOO heady - the movie is full of stunning sci-fi landscapes, tense action sequences, and some of the coolest robot sidekicks ever (which somehow never feel crass or overdone). Mixing both of these worlds makes the movie stronger, and sure to leave a lasting impact with audiences.  The adventure lasts across generations, and even for as long as it is, you never feel bored or disengaged. There’s a sequence in the second act that feels a bit tacked on, but pays off strongly - proving that if you give the film the time, it will deliver in spades.

Each element of the film is an incredible treat. The cast produces stunning work for the most part - a verifiable who’s-who of names (with strong performances from Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain), including some name actors that I didn’t expect to see in the film. The cinematography is stunning (coming from Hoyte van Hoytema, filling in for Nolan’s usual go-to, Wally Pfister), the CGI work is jaw dropping, and Hans Zimmer has produced perhaps his greatest score ever.

Does the movie succeed completely at it’s goals? Perhaps not. The film has an absolutely surprising third act, with shades of 2001, that never quite reaches the lofty heights of that film-defining classic. But at the same time, it may be better to admire a film for reaching just out of it’s grasp. With Interstellar, Christopher Nolan may have aimed for Kubrick, but landed at Spielberg - and that may not be a bad thing.  The film is one that will stick with you for sometime to come, reverberating in your head for ages.

I’ve always been fascinated with space. Fascinated with our place in the universe, and the audacity and the ambition to rise above and see beyond what is in front of us. As I walked out of Interstellar last night, I looked in the sky and found myself looking again with that child-like awe. Not many films can do that for me. This is something special.

Go see Interstellar. See it on the biggest screen you can find. Look forward to debating it with friends for years to come. This is more than a movie - it’s an experience you absolutely must be a part of.