Interstellar is a frustrating, over-reaching mess. You should see it anyway.

Christopher Nolan's latest shows the kind of ambition rarely seen in blockbusters

Interstellar didn't even hit general release until today, but the critical reaction is already as polarized as any mainstream movie released this year. FirstShowing.net claims Interstellar is a film with the power to remind humankind "that we can dream, that we get to breathe this fresh air on this beautiful planet, that we get to smile, cry, and laugh." The New York Post calls it "one of the most exhilarating film experiences so far this century."

That's a lot of baggage to saddle a movie with, but the responses on the other extreme are no less unequivocal. The Boston Herald says Interstellar is "a more pretentious, less plausible Armageddon." In a D+ review, The Fresno Bee complains that star Matthew McConaughey is "the only thing that keeps the movie from completely collapsing on itself."

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.