If You've Gone to the Blockbuster 'Interstellar' and Didn't Think You Could Hear the Dialogue, You're Actually Right

Many different elements go into making a blockbuster movie stand out from all the other potential hits. While a number of film creators use enhanced 3D visuals, others prefer to show their works in IMAX theaters. Still others rely on action-packed plots with a few hints of comedy.

But movie director Christopher Nolan had a different idea. In his new movie, "Interstellar," Nolan decided to focus more on what his audience would hear. But that's left many audience members complaining about what they can't hear, mainly important parts of dialogue because the music and sound effects are too loud.

Image source: Facebook/InterstellarMovie

"I don't agree with the idea that you can only achieve clarity through dialogue. Clarity of story, clarity of emotions  – I try to achieve that in a layered way using all the different things at my disposal – picture and sound," Nolan said in response to audience complaints.

The idea, he added, is to experience the journey the character is going on. For example, the experience of being in the cockpit is you hear the scary sound of the spacecraft creaking.

"We wanted to be true to the experience of space travel. We wanted to emphasize those intimate elements," Nolan said.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

But for audiences accustomed to high definition picture and sound, achieving that intended level of intimacy with moviegoers has been no easy feat. In an attempt to reassure critics, movie theater chains such as Cinemark have posted notices to customers like this one:

So many are struggling to hear dialogue in Interstellar that notices like this have appeared https://t.co/bfb4PLtiDs pic.twitter.com/H9aEg8L06C

— Telegraph Film (@TelegraphFilm) November 14, 2014

"Please note that all of our sound equipment is functioning properly," the theater's sign reads. Christopher Nolan mixed the soundtrack with an emphasis on the music. This is how it is intended to sound."

Nolan said theaters have been doing a "terrific" job at presenting his film the way he intended for it to be shown.

“Broadly speaking, there is no question when you mix a film in an unconventional way as this, you’re bound to catch some people off guard, but hopefully people can appreciate the experience for what it’s intended to be," Nolan said.

And it seems moviegoers do appreciate Nolan's flare for creativity. During its first weekend on the big screen (Nov. 7-9) the film raked in more than $47.5 million, putting it at the number two spot at the box office. In its second weekend (Nov. 14-16), the blockbuster topped $28 million, sliding it back to the number three spot at the box office.

See the official movie trailer:

(H/T: Daily Mail)

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