Black holes, a wise-cracking robot, string theory, and enough theoretical physics to blow Carl Sagan’s mind comprises what may be Christopher Nolan’s greatest film to date. With stunning visuals (including the most accurate depiction of a black hole ever created), a star-studded cast, and a riveting story of a father and his children, “Interstellar” is one of the best films of this generation.

If moviegoers are coming into this movie expecting Shakespeare they might be disappointed. While shockingly beautiful, the writing of this movie leaves a bit to be desired and if TARS (an ex-marine robot with a 100% humor setting) wasn’t there to lighten the mood this film would be very bleak.

Although it may be lacking in the dialogue department, the cinematography is far from shoddy. Nolan brought out the big guns in the creation of this realistic image of theoretical space travel. Each ship and set was meticulously built and shot to bring the space ship Endurance to life without a green screen. This is a refreshing change from today’s lazy use of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). Shot with nearly five miles of seventy millimeter film, the quality definitely shows. If moviegoers are looking to obtain the full effect of this film, they’ll have to go big or go home; this is not for the small screen.

But what really ties this movie together is Hans Zimmer’s brilliant score. Each piece was written, and in some cases, performed by Zimmer himself with help from Roger Sayer on the organ at Temple Church in London. While in most films the composer is consulted at the end of production, Zimmer was approached two years before filming began through a letter written by Christopher Nolan asking him to write a piece describing the feeling of being a father. This is what brings the emotion into the film.

Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” has set the bar high for the future of science fiction.  For years to come it will be the benchmark against what all other aspiring sci-fi movies will compare themselves to, and it should be.