Interstellar

One of the most entertaining lectures I've been to involved a Physicist attempting to explain Einstein's theory of relativity.  It was entertaining for two reasons; the first being that few people can wrap their minds around the same things Einstein wrestled with, and the lecturer wasn't one of those people.  The other point of entertainment can best be summed up with the following quote:  "Neither of the two great pillars of modern physics — general relativity, which describes gravity as a curvature of space and time, and quantum mechanics, which governs the atomic realm — gives any account for the existence of space and time" (Merali).  Scientists painstakingly search for answers to fundamental questions, ignoring the explanation of Creation.

Let me be clear, science is extremely useful for understanding the intricacies of our universe.  Considering the relationship between space and time to be a fourth dimension is intuitive.  I believe that God is not constrained by it or any of the other three dimensions.  By that rationale I must conclude that there is a fifth dimension.  With his newest film Interstellar, Christopher Nolan takes us into this fifth dimension.  I guess ultimately I don't necessarily have a problem with there being a fifth dimension, only with how Nolan gets us there.

I wanted to seriously address the science behind this film, because I get the feeling that Interstellar will be held up as a "realistic" example in discussions about relativity and spacetime phenomena.  Nolan previously explored the complexity of human memory in one of my favorite films Memento.  In that film we saw the world in brief, disoriented segments, simulating the short term memory loss which plagued the protagonist.  Nolan is equally successful in portraying the complexity of spacetime theory through the eyes of a heroic farmer.  That's saying quite a bit, because the challenge undertaken in Interstellar is far greater than that of Memento.

It is unnecessary to comment on the film's technical merits, because they are flawless.  Upon first glance, certain sequences, such as the spinning earth or box robots may seem odd – but it's all amazingly spot-on.  The effects have been carefully designed to match the theory discussed by the characters; this is the film's strength and its weakness.  As with any work of fiction, it is important that the visuals support the dialogue to effectively tell a story.  On the other hand, if your premise is lacking, if the science is full of holes, then the matching visuals will come across as hokey.  Nolan's film doesn't become absurd due to poor filmmaking; on the contrary, it's excellent filmmaking that follows an absurd idea to its logical conclusion.

What I don't like about Nolan taking us into the fifth dimension, is the suggestion that man can achieve the position of God, without even acknowledging the existence of God.  I would suggest that certain parts of the Bible offer a view free from the constraints of time and space.  The idea that God existed before creation informs me that both time and space are elements which have origin… and I don't pretend to understand what "before time" looked like.  Nolan's exploration of these concepts without the inclusion of God may look pretty amazing, but ultimately it is an exercise in futility. 

Merali, Zeeya  Theoretical Physics: The Origins of Space and Time  Nature.com