It’s the near future and Earth is dying. Food is running low and all of society’s efforts have been devoted to only the most basic, agrarian needs – with engineers, scientists, and pioneers long relegated to the history books. For widowed, former astronaut Cooper (McConaughey) life has become all about caring for his two children, his father and his crops. That is, until a series of mysterious occurrences leads to him inadvertently discovering a secret NASA base, where a group of scientists have been searching for potentially habitable planets to migrate Earth’s population to. Roped into assisting them, Cooper embarks on a mission to secure the human race’s future, even if it may mean missing his children’s.

To say more would venture into spoiler territory, but needless to say, the latest film from revered director Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight trilogy) is far more than meets the eye.

Following in the cinematic footsteps of films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, the film brings together an intelligent, multi-faceted story and awe-inspiring visuals at a time when far too many films have only one or the other. This is classic Nolan – heady, visually resplendent, with an (inter)stellar cast – but Interstellar is also more than just mind bending sci-fi. It is soulful, beautiful and devastatingly emotional, with more heart – and feeling a lot more personal – than Nolan’s previous, more clinical efforts, thanks largely to the father-daughter love story at its core. Whether this is for better or worse, I’ll let you decide but regardless, Interstellar is an undeniable, must-see masterpiece.