Interstellar and Inception are arguably some of the best movies Christopher Nolan has ever made. They are packed with action but also have deeper themes, they both sport an outstanding cast but they also have beautiful cinematography to show all of the locations they use.
And perhaps because of their immense critical and commercial success fans have started comparing the two movies and trying to figure out which one is superior and in what way. Indeed, it's worth looking at the two masterpieces to find out which one is better than the other - whether it's because of their CGI or their impeccable score or something completely different.
Interstellar: The CGI Is Incredible
One of Interstellar's best elements is its incredible CGI. It's amazing just how realistic everything looks in the movie even though it's clearly not something that is actually real.
From the spacecrafts to space itself, everything is done as well as it can be done. That's not surprising because Nolan actually brought the same company to do the visual effects as the one that worked on Inception.
Inception: The Practical Effects Are Jaw-Dropping
Speaking of Inception, the movie features a lot of great CGI as well, but what's even more impressive is its wide variety of practical effects that are simply jaw-dropping.
Of course, the filmmakers used multiple tricks to achieve certain things, but Nolan is known for doing as many scenes practically as possible. They even built a miniature mountain fortress to blow it up instead of making it completely CGI.
Interstellar: The Atmosphere Feels Grand
Christopher Nolan is the kind of director that is known not just for his mastery of cinema but also for his ability to create "big" movies or blockbusters that, at the same time, manage to have multiple layers and deeper themes to explore.
And with Interstellar, this is no less than obvious. This movie's atmosphere feels grand with all of the events going on during the story having high stakes and contributing to something that truly feels massive.
Inception: The Movie Was More Successful Overall
Though it's easy to just assume that Interstellar was more successful than Inception, the contrary is actually true. Inception got more awards and nominations as well as better critical and audience ratings.
At the same time, Inception was more commercially successful. On a budget of $160 million, it earned $837 million while Interstellar earned $702 million on a budget of $165 million.
Interstellar: The Score Is Quite Memorable
Almost every movie made by Nolan has quite a memorable soundtrack or score (largely thanks to the composers Nolan works with and, namely, Hans Zimmer).
But even though Inception has some pretty great pieces, nothing compares to what Interstellar has. It's a very simple melody, but it is integrated so well into the most memorable tracks from the score including "S.T.A.Y.", "No Time for Caution", "Mountains", and others.
Inception: The Cinematography Is Breathtaking
Christopher Nolan always makes sure that his movies look great no matter how big or small they are in scale. But because Interstellar relies more on CGI than Inception does, this element in the former movie doesn't stand out as much.
Inception has absolutely breathtaking cinematography that is often elevated by the practical effects used by the filmmakers. The different locations only add to the experience even more.
Interstellar: There Are Some Very Deep Themes
As mentioned earlier, Nolan's movies are the ones that manage to combine the blockbuster look and feel with the deeper themes and meanings created by the narrative the director crafts.
And even though, Inception does have some pretty interesting themes, Interstellar has some very deep ones to rival them. These include isolation and loneliness, human capacity for evil, denial, sacrifice, love and human connection, and so on.
Inception: The Concept Is Unusual
Most of the time, Nolan's movies have very unique concepts. Interstellar's premise seems somewhat common, but the way the movie progresses is unexpected. The situation with Inception, on the other hand, is very different.
The concept behind Inception is very unusual which immediately piques the interest of potential viewers increasing the movie's audience.
Interstellar: The Lead Actor Did An Amazing Job
Both movies have somewhat of an ensemble cast, but they also both have somewhat of a main character. Despite the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio was perfect as Cobb, Matthew McConaughey did an amazing job too.
In a way, McConaughey is more memorable just because he has more instances to show off his acting abilities - particularly the scene where he watches the messages from his children that were growing up without him.
Inception: The Ensemble Cast Members Fit Their Roles Perfectly
Nolan often has characters cast near to perfection, but the ensemble cast members in Inception fit their roles exceptionally well.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Page, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, and Tom Berenger - all of them are exactly on their places the way they should be.