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What is the plot?
In the year 2067, Earth is dying. Dust storms sweep across the land, choking out the last vestiges of crops. Humanity clings to survival, but hope is a rare commodity. On a sprawling corn farm in the American Midwest, Joseph Cooper--once a NASA test pilot, now a reluctant farmer--struggles to keep his family afloat. His father-in-law, Donald, helps with the chores, while Cooper's teenage son, Tom Cooper, works the fields with a sense of resigned duty. But it's Cooper's ten-year-old daughter, Murphy "Murph" Cooper, who burns with curiosity and conviction. She believes in science, in the stars, and in the possibility of something more.
One evening, as the wind howls and dust seeps through every crack, Murph insists her bedroom is haunted. Books fall from her shelf, and strange patterns appear in the dust. "It's my ghost," she whispers, eyes wide with wonder and fear. Cooper kneels beside her, his voice gentle but firm. "Murph, there's no such thing as ghosts. There's always a scientific explanation." But when a particularly violent dust storm leaves behind a pattern of lines and dots on her floor, Cooper's skepticism falters. He recognizes the pattern as binary code--coordinates. The numbers point to a location far from their farm, a place that shouldn't exist.
Driven by curiosity and a sense of destiny, Cooper and Murph set out before dawn, the world outside their truck shrouded in a haze of dust and uncertainty. The coordinates lead them to a chain-link fence, behind which lies a hidden entrance. They are swiftly apprehended by armed guards and brought underground, where a secret NASA facility hums with clandestine activity. Here, Professor John Brand--an old colleague of Cooper's--explains the dire truth. The world is dying, and NASA has been working in secret to save it.
Brand reveals that, nearly half a century ago, a mysterious wormhole appeared near Saturn. "Someone placed it there," Brand says, his voice heavy with awe and fear. "Not us. Not them. Someone." Through this wormhole lies another galaxy, home to twelve potentially habitable planets orbiting the supermassive black hole Gargantua. Twelve astronauts--the Lazarus missions--were sent to survey these worlds. Only three--Dr. Laura Miller, Dr. Hugh Mann, and Dr. Wolf Edmunds--reported positive findings.
NASA has two plans. Plan A: Solve the problem of gravity, build massive stations, and evacuate Earth's population. Plan B: Carry 5,000 frozen human embryos aboard the spacecraft Endurance, and colonize a new world if Plan A fails. But time is running out. Brand needs Cooper to pilot the Endurance. The mission is humanity's last hope.
Murph is devastated. She clings to her father, refusing to say goodbye. Cooper kneels, pressing his watch into her palm. "When I get back, we'll compare," he promises. Murph turns away, silent and angry, as Cooper leaves. The pain of separation is palpable, a wound that will shape both their lives.
The Endurance crew assembles: Cooper, Dr. Amelia Brand (Professor Brand's daughter), Dr. Doyle, Dr. Romilly, and two AI robots, TARS and CASE. They launch from Earth, the blue planet shrinking behind them, and enter cryosleep for the two-year journey to Saturn. As they approach the wormhole--a shimmering sphere suspended in the void--Amelia's voice trembles with awe: "It's not a circle. It's a sphere."
They plunge through, the universe warping around them, and emerge in a new galaxy. Their first destination is Miller's Planet, a world of endless shallow water orbiting perilously close to Gargantua. TARS warns them: "One hour on the surface equals seven years on Earth." Every second is precious. Cooper, Amelia, and Doyle descend in a lander, leaving Romilly aboard Endurance to study the black hole.
The planet is eerily calm, the sky a perpetual twilight. They find the wreckage of Miller's ship--no survivors. Suddenly, the horizon bulges. A tidal wave, hundreds of feet high, races toward them. "Go! Go!" Cooper shouts. They scramble for the lander, but Doyle is too slow. The wave crashes down, sweeping Doyle away and nearly destroying the lander. Amelia is pulled under, but Cooper and TARS rescue her. Engines waterlogged, they wait agonizing minutes before lifting off.
When they return to orbit, Romilly's face is lined with age. "It's been twenty-three years," he says softly. The weight of lost time crushes Cooper. He watches video messages from Earth: Tom has grown into a man, married, lost a child, and become embittered. Murph, now an adult scientist, refuses to send messages. The pain of abandonment festers.
On Earth, Murph works with Professor Brand at NASA, desperate to solve the gravity equation and save humanity. But Brand is dying. On his deathbed, he confesses a terrible truth: Plan A was a lie. "I never solved the equation," he gasps. "We needed data from inside a black hole. We were never meant to save everyone." Murph's grief turns to fury. She records a message for Cooper and Amelia: "You knew. You left us to die."
With only enough fuel for one more planet, the crew faces a choice. Amelia wants to go to Edmunds' planet--her lover's beacon is still transmitting. Cooper insists on Mann's planet, where the signal is strongest. They vote, and Mann's planet wins.
The world they find is a frozen wasteland, clouds of ice suspended in the air, the ground riddled with ammonia. They awaken Dr. Hugh Mann from cryosleep. He weeps with relief, embracing Cooper and Amelia. "You have no idea what it's like," he says, "to be alone." Mann claims the planet is habitable, but his data is inconsistent. Suspicion grows.
While Romilly studies the base, Mann leads Cooper on a trek across the ice. They stop atop a glacier, the wind howling. Suddenly, Mann removes Cooper's helmet, exposing him to the toxic atmosphere. "I'm sorry," Mann says, his voice trembling. "I can't let you stop me." He tries to suffocate Cooper, smashing his faceplate, then leaves him to die.
Back at the base, Romilly discovers a booby-trapped storage unit. It explodes, killing him instantly--Mann's desperate attempt to cover his lies. Amelia and TARS race to find Cooper, reviving him just in time. Mann flees in a lander, heading for the Endurance. "He's going to dock manually," TARS warns. "He doesn't know how."
Mann attempts the docking procedure, but he ignores safety protocols. "I can do this," he mutters, voice shaking. The airlock fails. A violent decompression rips through the ship, killing Mann in a flash as his lander explodes. The Endurance spins out of control, debris scattering into space.
Cooper and Amelia, in the other lander, approach the spinning ship. Cooper calculates the rotation, matching the Endurance's spin. "Come on, TARS," he says. "Lock in." They dock in a breathtaking display of skill and nerve, barely regaining control before the ship is lost to Gargantua's gravity.
With the Endurance crippled and fuel running low, Cooper and Amelia face a grim reality. They must slingshot around Gargantua to reach Edmunds' planet, but the maneuver will cost them precious time and resources. Cooper hatches a plan: he and TARS will detach, plunging into the black hole to shed weight and give Amelia a chance.
As they approach the event horizon, time slows, light bends, and reality warps. "Good luck, Amelia," Cooper says, voice tight with emotion. "See you on the other side." He and TARS jettison, falling into the abyss. Amelia and CASE escape, hurtling toward Edmunds' planet.
Inside Gargantua, Cooper's craft is torn apart. He ejects, tumbling through darkness, until he finds himself in a vast, extradimensional space--a tesseract. The walls shimmer with infinite versions of Murph's bedroom, stretching in every direction. Cooper realizes: this is not death, but a bridge. The beings who created the wormhole--future humans--have built this space so he can communicate across time.
He sees Murph as a child, crying in her room, books falling from the shelf. He understands now: he was her "ghost." Desperate, he tries to reach her, pounding on the walls, manipulating gravity. He finds the watch he left her, still ticking on the shelf. Using Morse code, he transmits the quantum data TARS has collected from inside the black hole, encoding it in the second hand of the watch.
Across time, Murph--now a grown woman, estranged from her brother Tom and her childhood home--returns to her old bedroom. She notices the watch's erratic ticking. Realization dawns. "It's a message," she whispers. Feverishly, she deciphers the code, tears streaming down her face. The solution to the gravity equation is in her hands. She races to NASA, shouting, "Eureka!" Murph's discovery will save humanity.
The tesseract collapses, its purpose fulfilled. Cooper and TARS are ejected into space, unconscious, drifting near Saturn. Rescue ships from Cooper Station--a massive cylindrical habitat orbiting Saturn, named in Murph's honor--recover them. Cooper awakens in a hospital bed, sunlight streaming through artificial windows. The world outside is a marvel of engineering, humanity's new home among the stars.
Murph, now an old woman, lies dying, surrounded by children and grandchildren. Cooper enters her room, tears in his eyes. "No parent should have to watch their child die," he says softly. Murph smiles, her life's work complete. "Go," she urges him. "Brand's out there. She needs you."
Elsewhere, on Edmunds' Planet, Amelia Brand stands alone, helmet off, breathing the fresh air of a new world. She buries Edmunds, her lost love, and begins to build a new colony. CASE assists her, the first seeds of a new civilization taking root.
Cooper, restless and determined, steals a small spacecraft with TARS. Together, they set course for Edmunds' planet, leaving Cooper Station behind. As he disappears into the black, the cycle of hope and sacrifice continues--one man's journey echoing across time, bound by love, loss, and the unbreakable bond between a father and his daughter.
What is the ending?
At the end of Interstellar, Cooper sacrifices himself to ensure the success of the mission, entering a black hole to send data back to Earth. He is later rescued and finds himself in a futuristic space station, where he reunites with an elderly Murph, who has solved the gravity equation. Cooper then decides to search for Brand, who is on a habitable planet.
In a more detailed narrative, the climax of Interstellar unfolds as Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, and the remaining crew aboard the Endurance face the daunting task of entering the black hole, Gargantua. Cooper realizes that the only way to transmit the crucial data needed to save humanity is to sacrifice himself. He detaches from the ship, plunging into the black hole, where he experiences a surreal journey through the tesseract--a five-dimensional space that allows him to interact with different moments in time.
Inside the tesseract, Cooper sees various moments from his daughter Murph's childhood, and he realizes he can communicate with her through gravitational waves. He uses the watch he left her as a child to send her the data needed to solve the gravity equation, which is essential for humanity's survival. The scenes are filled with emotional weight as Cooper watches Murph grow up, feeling the distance and time that separates them.
After transmitting the data, Cooper is ejected from the tesseract and finds himself floating in a hospital bed on a massive space station, Cooper Station, named after his daughter. The station is a cylindrical habitat that simulates Earth's environment, showcasing humanity's survival in space. Cooper is greeted by a nurse who informs him that he has been rescued and that Murph is still alive.
Cooper is then taken to see Murph, who is now an elderly woman, surrounded by her family. The reunion is poignant, filled with unspoken love and sacrifice. Murph, played by Ellen Burstyn, urges Cooper to leave and find Brand, who is on Edmunds' planet, preparing to establish a new colony for humanity. Murph tells him that he has to go, as she has lived her life and he must now live his.
The film concludes with Cooper stealing a spacecraft to search for Brand, played by Anne Hathaway, who is alone on the habitable planet, ready to start a new life for humanity. The final scenes show Cooper setting off into the unknown, determined to reunite with Brand and continue the mission of ensuring humanity's future. The screen fades to black, leaving the audience with a sense of hope and the enduring bond between Cooper and his daughter, as well as the ongoing quest for survival in the universe.
Who dies?
In the movie "Interstellar," several characters face death, each with significant emotional weight and narrative impact. Here are the key characters who die, along with the circumstances surrounding their deaths:
- Professor Brand (Michael Caine):
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Circumstances of Death: Professor Brand, a key figure in the mission to save humanity, dies on Earth. He is revealed to have been aware that the Lazarus missions were unlikely to succeed in finding a new habitable planet. He dies of old age, having devoted his life to the mission and the hope of humanity's survival. His death occurs towards the end of the film, after Cooper and the team have returned from their journey. Brand's passing is poignant, as it underscores the sacrifices made for the greater good and the burden of hope he carried.
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Mann (Matt Damon):
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Circumstances of Death: Dr. Mann, one of the astronauts sent to explore potential habitable planets, is found on the ice planet. He initially deceives Cooper and the team about the viability of his planet, driven by desperation and fear of dying alone. When Cooper confronts him, Mann attempts to escape by attacking Cooper. In the ensuing struggle, Mann's plan backfires; he activates the base's self-destruct mechanism, leading to an explosion. He ultimately dies in the explosion, which serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of desperation and the moral complexities of survival.
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Murph Cooper (Jessica Chastain):
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Circumstances of Death: Murph, Cooper's daughter, is a brilliant scientist who works on solving the gravitational equation necessary to save humanity. She eventually succeeds in her work, but her death occurs off-screen. The film shows her as an elderly woman, surrounded by her family, having lived a full life. Her death is significant as it represents the culmination of her efforts and the emotional resolution of her relationship with her father, Cooper. The film emphasizes the themes of love and sacrifice, as Murph's achievements are rooted in the love and hope her father instilled in her.
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Tom Cooper (Casey Affleck):
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Circumstances of Death: Tom, Cooper's son, is shown to have lived a life on Earth, struggling with the challenges of a dying planet. His death is also off-screen, but it is implied that he dies of old age, having taken care of the family farm and dealing with the harsh realities of life on a deteriorating Earth. His character represents the generational struggle and the impact of the choices made by the previous generation, particularly in relation to the mission to save humanity.
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Dr. Doyle (Topher Grace):
- Circumstances of Death: Dr. Doyle, a member of the team sent to explore the planets, dies during the mission on Miller's planet. After the encounter with the massive tidal wave, he is lost when the team is forced to flee the planet. His death highlights the dangers of space exploration and the unpredictable nature of the environments they encounter.
Each of these deaths serves to deepen the emotional stakes of the narrative, illustrating the themes of sacrifice, the struggle for survival, and the enduring bonds of love that transcend time and space.
Is there a post-credit scene?
Interstellar does not have a post-credit scene. The film concludes with a powerful and emotional ending, focusing on Cooper's reunion with his daughter Murph in a hospital room, where she is now an elderly woman. The film wraps up its narrative without any additional scenes after the credits roll. The story ends on a poignant note, emphasizing themes of love, sacrifice, and the passage of time.
What is the significance of the Tesseract scene in Interstellar?
In the Tesseract scene, Cooper finds himself in a five-dimensional space where he can see and interact with different moments in time related to his daughter, Murph. This scene illustrates the concept of time as a physical dimension, allowing him to communicate with her through gravitational waves.
How does Cooper communicate with Murph in the past?
Cooper uses gravitational anomalies to send messages to Murph in the form of Morse code through the second hand of a watch he gave her. He encodes the data needed to solve the gravitational equation that could save humanity.
What role does Dr. Mann play in the story?
Dr. Mann is a scientist who was part of the Lazarus missions. He deceives the crew into believing his planet is habitable, but it turns out to be inhospitable. His actions lead to a confrontation that puts the crew's lives at risk.
What happens on Miller's planet and why is it significant?
Miller's planet is located near a supermassive black hole, Gargantua, and experiences extreme time dilation. One hour on the planet equals seven years in space. The crew's mission to retrieve data from the planet results in a tragic loss of time and crew members.
What is the relationship between Cooper and Murph throughout the film?
Cooper and Murph share a deep bond, with Murph being his daughter. Their relationship is central to the plot, as Cooper's departure to save humanity causes emotional turmoil for Murph, who grows up to become a brilliant scientist trying to solve the gravitational equation to save humanity.
Is this family friendly?
In the movie "Interstellar," there are several scenes and aspects that may be considered potentially objectionable or upsetting for children or sensitive viewers:
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Emotional Themes: The film explores heavy themes such as loss, separation, and the struggle for survival, which may be emotionally intense for younger viewers.
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Death and Grief: Characters experience the death of loved ones, and there are scenes that depict grief and mourning, which could be distressing.
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Intense Space Sequences: Some scenes involve intense space travel, including moments of peril and danger that may be frightening.
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Environmental Destruction: The film portrays a future Earth suffering from ecological collapse, which may be unsettling for some viewers.
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Violence: There are brief moments of violence, including a scene where a character is attacked, which may be alarming.
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Parental Sacrifice: The theme of a parent making significant sacrifices for their children is prevalent, which may evoke strong emotions.
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Existential Dilemmas: The film raises questions about humanity's survival and the fate of the Earth, which could be overwhelming for sensitive viewers.
These elements contribute to the film's overall tone and may affect how it is received by younger audiences or those who are particularly sensitive to such themes.