Space: the great infinity, a place where dreams echo across time. For writer/director Christopher Nolan, it's the lack of restraint that makes Interstellar emotionally immature. He allows his imagination to run riot, yet many times the actors explain what's happening like a terrible tour guide. As such, the images rarely speak for themselves. 

On Earth, crops are dying and time is running out. When farmer and family man Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) comes across a NASA facility, he learns the truth about mankind's fate. Although the planet cannot be saved, its inhabitants might have a chance. Very soon, he leads a mission to explore other worlds. Unfortunately that means leaving behind his son Tom (Timothée Chalamet) and daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy) for an untold period of time.

It's no accident that McConaughey got to play the leading role. In 1997's Contact, he helped Jodie Foster interpret strange signals from another galaxy. Cut to the present day and Nolan picks up where Robert Zemeckis left off... yet he loses sight of human beings. The engine behind Interstellar takes so long to rev up, you might require a pillow to sleep during the dull parts. Be prepared for a long nap.

Clichés are part and parcel of Interstellar. It's impossible to miss the HAL 9000 reference from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s a walking rectangle, which tries very hard to be funny. All well and fine, except I didn't laugh once. Adding to which, there's an explanation of wormholes copied verbatim from Paul Anderson's Event Horizon. It all adds up to one thing: zero originality.

Where does that leave the performances? Lost in the void of space. Meanwhile, McConaughey drifts along mumbling self-important dialogue, as written by Nolan with the help of his brother Jonathan.

From Lee Smith's bizarre editing to Hans Zimmer's irritating score, Interstellar makes turkeys such as Supernova and Solaris look appetizing. The only thing left to add is some cosmic gravy and we're away!

(Released by Paramount Pictures and rated “PG-13” for some intense perilous action and brief strong language.)