‘Project Hail Mary’ Meets ‘The Godfather’ in Prime Video’s Sci-Fi Epic

Over the 12 years since its release, adoration for Interstellar has soared to extraordinary heights. Though it received relatively lukewarm reviews upon release in 2014—at least, lukewarm for a Christopher Nolan film—this sci-fi epic about the fate of humanity and the excruciating balance between work and family has become the defining movie for an entire generation, as it is currently the #1 most popular film on Letterboxd. At the time of its release, people weren’t prepared for the more emotionally vulnerable, deeply sentimental side to Nolan, a director celebrated for grounding the superhero genre with unprecedented grit and gravitas in The Dark Knight. But in today’s movie culture, Interstellar, a film that captures the beauty of the medium and the aching heart of a generation that feels lost to time, has unsurprisingly become a major touchstone for audiences who weren’t even old enough to see it in theaters during its initial release. Now streaming on Prime Video, Nolan’s sci-fi epic signaled a new era in his career, one which continued this year as it blessed audiences with The Odyssey.