UB06002

ENGLISH FOR CREATIVE COMMUNICATION

TITLE:
HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL FILM ANALYSIS : INTERSTELLAR (2014)

LECTURER:
MS PARTRICIA LAJUMIN

NAME:

YANG ZIAD BIN AZIMAN

BP21110118
 Table of content Page

1.0 INTRODUCTION 2

2.0 HISTORICAL ANALYSIS 2-3

3.0 CULTURAL ANALYSIS 3-4

4.0 CONCLUSION 4

REFERENCE 4

1.0 Introduction

1
 Christopher Nolan's eagerly awaited space epic, Interstellar, addresses themes of love,
survival, the quest for knowledge, and time travel—a staple of science fiction—all while
telling the tale of a hero who must decide between protecting his family and preserving
mankind or America. In a not-too-distant future when Earth is perishing and producing
enough food to sustain life is the sole vital task, widowed engineer and farmer Coop and his
family reside. There are just battles and farming; there is no technical development. Coop is
enraged by the situations that the world and he are in on the inside. He thinks that rather
than caring for a world that has been irreparably damaged by humanity's fast and
destructive technological advancement, the solution to humanity's predicament rests in the
vast horizons over his head. Fortunately, Coop and his similarly scientifically inclined
daughter, Murph, are drawn into a covert government mission to save the Earth via a
mysterious wormhole that has miraculously emerged within the solar system and provides
interplanetary passage to other potentially livable worlds. But who sets these events in
motion? What wonderful deus ex machina has been guiding Coop and his team to
humanity's salvation?

2.0 Historical Analysis

The terror that science fiction reveals must be natural, because it examines the
"unknown, therefore fearful" by scientific facts, allowing the "mysterious" to become the
real, transforming and broadening perception, and finally motivating humans to face greater
mystery. It begins in a dismal future scenario when the world has been decimated by
starvation. Humanity is on the verge of extinction, and space flight remains a viable option
for finding a new home. So the issue is, what if mankind needs to find a new home to
survive? How is it feasible to travel if one is discovered, given the knowledge and technology
that mankind possesses, while considering the unimaginable distances that humans would
not be able to travel before ageing and dying? Is it conceivable to carry the whole
population, and if not, are there any other means to save the human species from going
extinct? Human extinctions had the main protagonist Coop exploring these concerns like
dusting planet Earth and the overwhelming low of worldwide food supply , the film
repeatedly confronts the issue of time and its linearity. Interstellar is one of the movies that
strikes fear in future generations facing because of our wrongdoings. We creating better
advancements in technologies while ignoring the fact that our doings are affecting the world
even worse like for example climate change due to our use of excessive use of oil and

2
lithium battery for smartphones and cars uses. And, on the other side of things, Gen Zers
might believe that their parents’ or grandparents’ generation did not fight hard enough
against social issues, such as climate change and financial inequality (an argument which
prompted the viral rise of ‘OK Boomer’, a phrase intended to disparage their older
counterparts) (Bryan Lufkin,2023). Interstellar is a multigenerational movie that have
shaped me as other humans in this world to react to a different approach to a better
tomorrow by integrating a more environmental approach in every doings like recycling and
having sustainable life by using public transportation and use eco-friendly products.

2.0 Cultural Analysis

This movie touches on the scientific side of the cinema world where Christopher
Nolan truly needs the Interstellar (2014) to be as faithful to the source material and reality.
By that, the director collaborates with the world-renowned scientist as he wants this science
fiction movie to be as real as possible. This movie is heavily influenced by the mysteries to
explore blackhole and wormholes related to the strong sense of gravity which is the one of
main concepts of the movie. One of the masterminds of the project was Caltech physicist
Kip Thorne, a world-renowned expert in general relativity, Einstein's theory of gravity. Kip
was our chaperone, and we had a wonderful time learning from him and getting to know
him. He was, even then, telling us all about wormholes and time travel, pushing Einstein's
ideas to the limit (Marcelo Gleiser,2014). This collaboration led to more technological
advancement in VFX where a VFX team generated a visual scene of a theorised black hole
and the wormhole that soon as to be confirmed real. Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne of the
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, who came up with the original idea for the
movie, worked closely with the London-based special effects company Double Negative to
ensure that the wormhole and black hole shown were as realistic as possible. Using physics
equations provided by Thorne, the company's computers mapped the paths of millions of
rays of light through the warped spacetime caused by a fictional black hole(Daniel
Clery,2015). Later in 2021, we have a clear image of a black hole that seems to be the same
as the black hole in Interstellar (2014). The cultural impact of this movie not only inspires
the younger generation to closer to science-related topics but also our life . The movie
shows us that our lives are meaningful as everyone that in the world from saving the Earth
for your daughter’s future or having your father home. Our lives have purpose and we are
predestined for greatness in our later lives.

3
4.0 Conclusions

The findings of this film analysis through a cultural and historical will be helpful to all
mankind. We as a human race can plan and develop the best strategy to enhance our
generation to be keener towards a more sustainable and peaceful earth for generations to
come.

(919 words)

References

Bryan Lufkin (2023) Younger cohorts are often stereotyped as being lazy, entitled or
self-obsessed – and have been for centuries. Is there something to this perception?
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220218-are-younger-generations-truly-weak
er-than-older-ones

Daniel Clery (2015) Science inspired Interstellar, and film now returns the favor
https://www.science.org/content/article/science-inspired-interstellar-and-film-now-ret
urns-favor

Marcelo Gleiser(2014) The Science Of 'Interstellar'

npr.org/sections/13.7/2014/11/13/363444786/the-science-of-interstellar