Several of Nolan’s movies have become across-the-board Oscar darlings in both above and below-the-line categories. Despite eight total nominations, “The Dark Knight” failed to get a widely expected Best Picture nomination in 2008. However, “Inception,” “Dunkirk,” and most recently “Oppenheimer” either got Nolan an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, Best Director, or Screenplay or in some cases, all three, along with the expected craft nominations. Even when Nolan’s films don’t land in these above-the-line categories, such as the heady “Tenet,” that film still managed to score two Oscar nominations and one win for Best Visual Effects. 2014’s “Interstellar,” which turns ten years old today, was part of this streak with five Oscar nominations at the 87th Academy Awards. Still, given the film’s immense pop culture reputation and love amongst cinephiles, Best Picture and Director nominations eluded it in 2014. This begs the question: How did such a beloved film from one of the world’s most highly respected filmmakers only receive Oscar nominations in the technical categories?
It’s especially odd given that “Interstellar” is Nolan’s only post-2006 movie to launch outside of the summer season. Instead, this Matthew McConaughey star vehicle was released in November as a prime launchpad for Oscar-friendly titles. Speaking of that “Dazed & Confused” leading man, McConaughey’s presence also suggested there could’ve been major Oscar aspirations for “Interstellar.” After all, he was in a renaissance in the early 2010s, including an Oscar win the previous year for “Dallas Buyer’s Club.” Surely, McConaughey’s magic would rub off on “Interstellar” at the 87th Academy Awards, right?
Not so fast. While “Interstellar” still scored a respectable five nominations at the ceremony, which included Best Original Score, Production Design, Visual Effects, and the two sound categories, those are typical nomination categories for sci-fi tentpoles. That sentence reflects why “Interstellar” might’ve struggled more with Academy voters than “Oppenheimer” or “Dunkirk.” This sci-fi feature wore its cosmic aspirations on its sleeve even more overtly than “Inception.” Certain “Inception” sequences are intentionally framed like a classical heist movie, while “Interstellar” deals with gigantic robots (hello TARS!) and alien planets dominated by massive tidal waves. For some who have an aversion towards the sci-fi genre, it’s easy to see how it could’ve been dismissed.
“Interstellar’s” entire finale hinges on time travel mechanisms and a bookshelf, which is just the kind of heightened material that can inspire shrugs from Oscar voters. Just by looking at the eight Best Picture nominations that year, which include deeply standard historical biopics like “The Theory of Everything,” “The Imitation Game,” and “American Sniper,” you can see what Oscar voters were favoring ten years ago before the makeup of the Academy broadened and became more international. Older white Oscar voters tend to gravitate toward more grounded movies involving historical figures they instantly recognize. Ambitious sci-fi material like “Interstellar” is a tougher sell for them when it comes to the above-the-line categories. “Tenet” could also attest to this trend a few years later.
It’s also worth remembering that “Interstellar” wasn’t as widely beloved when it first came out. It got positive reviews, but the general critical reception was significantly more muted than the tidal wave of praise that greeted “The Dark Knight” and “Inception.” Though far from an exact science, look at Metacritic’s list of best-reviewed movies of 2014. “Interstellar’s” perfectly respectable 74 score on the site puts it behind 123 other 2014 movies that the site tracked. That includes other 2014 genre movies like “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Guest,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The general critical reception of eventual Best Picture nominees like “Boyhood,” “Selma,” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” was tremendously more positive than the initial reviews greeting “Interstellar.”
It didn’t help that “Interstellar” failed to gain much traction at pre-Oscars awards ceremonies, which could’ve given it more of an edge in major Oscar categories. The only other category “Interstellar” was regularly nominated in was Best Cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema, but the Oscars would eventually ignore him that year for his breathtaking, epic work. Otherwise, most award shows restricted “Interstellar” to just the technical categories, including Hans Zimmer’s iconic score, the visual effects, sound, and production design. Ten years later, the ubiquity of “Interstellar” memes makes it puzzling there wasn’t more Academy love for the film. However, at the time, it wasn’t surprising that the Oscars followed all other major award shows and ignored “Interstellar” in Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Original Screenplay.
It didn’t help, too, that “Interstellar” is anchored by two performers (McConaughey and Anne Hathaway) who had very recently received their Oscar flowers. A decade later, “Oppenheimer” would secure Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. their very first Oscar wins. These didn’t just symbolize love for their “Oppenheimer” work but also doubled as raising glasses to their incredible acting careers. However, McConaughey and Hathaway had already won Oscars and received nominations at the dawn of the 2010s, and not many voters were in a rush to recognize them again, and to this day, neither of them has been nominated since.
In the end, though, “Interstellar” didn’t need the Academy’s love to make a dent culturally. After all, the film grossed $681 million worldwide in 2014, a robust haul that ensured it would turn a tidy profit on a $165 million budget. Not only that, but it’s one of the most prominent original feature films of the 2010s. That significant financial haul ensured that “Interstellar’s” reach was far and wide. As time passed, Nolan’s big sci-fi opus also began resonating with people who gravitated towards its mixture of superb imagery and raw emotions. Merging the spectacle of space with tearjerker depictions of time’s inescapable march touched something profound in people.
That’s why, ten years later, “The Theory of Everything” is largely forgotten, “The Imitation Game” has been overshadowed by other subsequent Benedict Cumberbatch films, and only that fake baby is talked about from “American Sniper.” “Interstellar’s” distinctive score, images, and pathos-drenched sequences keep inspiring memes, TikTok videos, and appreciative academic essays alike. A movie’s more considerable cultural legacy is far more than just derisive opening weekend jokes about “MURPH!” or Oscar nominations restricted to just the technical categories.
“Interstellar” epitomizes how a motion picture’s true impact on people is told through that old chestnut—the test of time. Even the Academy has, post-“Interstellar,” bestowed Best Director and Best Picture nominations on various Nolan movies, finally granting him the big wins last year. As “Interstellar’s” protagonist learns after visiting that fateful water-covered planet, time is a funny thing.
“Interstellar” will be re-released in theaters in IMAX 70mm starting December 6th. Will you be revisiting the theater to see it or will this be your first time? Do you believe the film should’ve been nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor, and/or Original Screenplay? Please let us know in the comments below or on Next Best Picture’s X account.
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