Space is a glorious vessel for cinematic storytelling, whether it’s Luke Skywalker’s many voyages into the cosmos or Stanley Kubrick using space as a backdrop for a look at humanity. So many stories, of widely varying degrees of quality, have been told within those far off stars, so it was inevitable for Christopher Nolan to send his own sci-fi tale into orbit.

Christopher Nolan certainly takes the reins of this particular project, not only producing and directing it, but also being one of the movies two writers, the other being his brother Johnathan Nolan. The duo certainly love science, giving the movie entire conversations centered on the kind of things I’m sure the likes of Stephen Hawking would dub casual dinner talk, but for me sounded occasionally like a foreign language. That leaves several moments in the film giving off the impression of an aquarium; I can see what’s happening, but I can’t get involved directly.

Not helping that problem is that the characters are on the weak side. Not terribly so mind you, but frankly, the fact that the movie centers most of the story around a crew of space explorers led by Brand (Anne Hathaway) and Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), the lack of personality in the characters becomes prominent. Brand is especially guilty of this, as Hathaway’s tremendous talent is wasted on a character who just never leaves an impression. Few of the other members of the crew manage to get time to make an impact despite the films long running time, sans TARS, a fellow whose easily the best part of the movie and adds much needed levity to the adventure.

At least Cooper gets some depth, being a father of two struggling to survive in a dusty landscape that most on Earth now call home. McConaughey kinda just becomes a generic protagonist in later portions of the film, but he’s a bright spot early in the film as the actor lends his distinctive charm (that is only absent in real life when he supports a certain Washington football teams racist name) to the character to make it obvious why his daughter would miss him if he’s gone. A bizarre paradox is at work in the film for me that I found kind of fascinating; early scenes set on Earth have a tendency to drag, but they light up once Cooper and the never not likable John Lithgow (as Coopers father in-law) pop up, but the space portions are dragged down occasionally by lifeless personalities engaging in stunning imagery.

I’m so glad I’ve reached the point where I can talk about that imagery, since they’re downright astonishing to witness. Vibrant colors within the cosmos instilled a sense of endless grandeur in me, and it’s nice that the film allows us time to marvel at it’s impeccable sights and lack of sound. Within space, the movie really finds it’s footing, even if it looses much of Cooper’s personality in the process. Even with that caveat, I was surprised at how deftly Nolan handles sequences of peril that pop up during the crews expedition. Several moments, specifically the ones set on a planet of icy temperatures, had me on the edge of my seat breathless,

Yes, Interstellar has weak characters, corny dialogue that doesn’t fit the tone of the movie whatsoever (my little brother is quoting “It’s not impossible, it’s necessary” endlessly, and I can’t blame him) and the ultimate sin of not giving Jessica Chastain anything truly interesting to do, instead having her deal with a bland antagonist played by Casey Affleck. But my God, what a beautiful movie on a visual level, and even when dealing with its characters, it manages to do its scenes of danger exceptionally well, and certain emotional moments are done with similar quality. There’s plenty of qualms to be had with Interstellar, but with it’s numerous moments of pure, awe-inspiring greatness, it does make me hope Christopher Nolan returns to the world of sci-fi again, for better or for worse.