How about it Interstellar (2014) Following Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey Breakdown? Welcome to continue reading Hero’s Journey Breakdown There I explored Joseph Campbell’s mythological story structure and how iconic films fit into this pattern.
The late Hollywood creative director Christopher Vogler’s approach to Campbell’s structure, which divided the mythological story structure into twelve stages, is more applicable to film narrative structure. For this series, we define each stage in a simplified explanation.
The 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey
- Ordinary world: We see the hero’s normal life at the beginning of the story, before the adventure begins.
- Call to Adventure: The hero faces an event, conflict, problem, or challenge that prompts them to embark on an adventure.
- Reject a call: The hero initially refuses to take risks because of hesitation, fear, insecurity, or any other issue.
- Meet the mentor: The hero meets a mentor who can give them advice, wisdom, information, or items to help prepare them for the journey ahead.
- Crossing the threshold: For the first time, the hero leaves the ordinary world and steps into the threshold of adventure.
- Trials, allies and enemies: The hero learns the rules of the new world, undergoes trials, makes friends, and faces enemies.
- method: An initial plan to deal with the central conflict is initiated, but setbacks arise that lead the hero to try new methods or adopt new ideas.
- test: Things go wrong and more conflict is introduced. The hero will experience more difficulties and obstacles, some of which may lead to life crises.
- award: After experiencing hardships, the hero caught sword-The rewards they receive enable them to handle the biggest conflicts. It could be material items, knowledge or wisdom that helps them persevere.
- road back: The heroes see the light at the end of the tunnel, but they are about to face more tests and challenges.
- resurrection: climax. The heroes face a final test, using everything they’ve learned to end the conflict once and for all.
- Return: Heroes bring their knowledge or “miracle cure” back to the ordinary world.
Here we turn to Christopher Nolan’s classic Interstellarco-written by Jonathan Nolan.
Read more: How Christopher Nolan Developed a Movie Concept
“Interstellar Effect” (2014)
Hero’s Journey plot synopsis: Interstellar
As with any application of story structure or formula, this is simply a post hoc interpretation and implementation of the Hero’s Journey into this cinematic story. There can and will be differences.
Script for this article
Interstellar
ordinary world
Interstellar Audiences are introduced to Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), who lives on a struggling farm with his children Murphy (Mackenzie Foy) and Tom (Timothée Chalamet) Living a quiet, ordinary life while a future Earth is being devastated by environmental collapse.
The world is suffering from sandstorms and crop failures, and human survival is threatened. Cooper’s life revolved around maintaining a farm and raising children, but his past as a NASA pilot hinted at ambitions he had yet to realize.
We see that Cooper has a deep love for his family. He also captured the past.
Call to adventure
When Cooper discovers a downed drone, the call to adventure ensues.
This leads him to discover a mysterious gravity anomaly, which helps Cooper and Murphy discover a hidden NASA facility.
There, Cooper learned about a plan to find a habitable planet for humans. Professor Brand (McCain) explains that a wormhole near Saturn offers the opportunity to explore distant galaxies and find a new home.
Cooper is asked to pilot this mission, rekindling his passion for exploration but also facing a heartbreaking dilemma – leaving his family behind.
Reject call
Cooper was initially reluctant to take on the assignment because he knew it would cause pain to his children. His rejection was brief, but true.
Read more: When Nature Calls: Survival Movies on the Big Screen
Meet the mentor
Professor Brand initially served as Cooper’s primary mentor Interstellarproviding the scientific knowledge and emotional encouragement needed for the task. Brand’s belief in the importance of the mission strengthened Cooper’s resolve.
Cross the threshold
When Cooper and his crew departed Earth aboard the Endurance, he crossed the threshold. This marks his entry into the unknown – a journey through a wormhole into a new galaxy.
transition in Interstellar Both literally and figuratively, as Cooper leaves behind a familiar world filled with unimaginable possibilities and dangers.
Trials, allies and enemies
Across the universe, Cooper meets his allies, befriends surprising enemies, and faces a series of tests.
Amelia (Anne Hathaway) and the robots TARS and CASE provide necessary support and guidance and become firm allies. The crew encounters an extremely time-dilated planet and loses precious years of their lives.
A man who was supposed to be an ally becomes an enemy when desperation leads him to betray his crew.
method
Cooper and crew traveling to Miller’s planet was the original approach. The crew lands on Miller’s planet, a world ruled by knee-deep water and the harsh reality of extreme time dilation – where every hour is equivalent to years on Earth.
What begins as a discreet survey of the wreckage left behind by Miller’s ill-fated expedition soon turns into a battle for survival. A massive tsunami loomed on the horizon, killing one crew member and flooding the lander’s engines, leaving the team in a race against time.
ordeal
When Cooper and Amelia left Earth, they discovered that 23 years had passed since their mission.
They only have enough fuel to travel to one of the two remaining planets.
The ordeal begins with Cooper’s confrontation with Dr. Man (Matt Damon) on an ice planet. Mann’s betrayal caused catastrophic damage to the Endurance, nearly killing Cooper. The sequence tested Cooper’s physical and emotional endurance.
The escape from Mann’s planet and subsequent docking maneuver exemplified Cooper’s resilience and ingenuity.
Cooper realizes he must have faith in the black hole Gargantua to obtain data that can save humanity.
award
The reward comes on the way back, later when an older Murphy (Jessica Chastain) receives a message from Cooper. Cooper uses Morse code to communicate with Murphy across time, providing her with the information she needs to solve the gravity equation and save humanity.
road back
The Road Back takes place after Cooper enters the Tesseract, a higher dimensional space where time is a tangible dimension. Cooper managed to return to the moment Murphy said goodbye to her as a child. Cooper’s mission pays off Interstellar On the way back.
resurrection
The resurrection occurred when Cooper emerged from the black hole and was rescued near Saturn. He was reunited with humanity and now thrives aboard the Cooper Space Station, an orbiting habitat.
This stage represents his rebirth as a hero and the completion of his mission.
Cooper reunites with an aging Murphy (Ellen Burstyn), and their relationship ends.
return
The return can be seen as arriving during Cooper’s resurrection, but at the end of the film Cooper embarks on a new journey. With humanity’s survival secured, he steals a ship and sets out to find Amelia, who is establishing a colony on a distant planet.
This return adventure highlights Cooper’s indomitable spirit and his role as an explorer throughout Interstellar. He was finally able to pursue things outside of his family.
If you want a deeper dive, check out our other Hero’s Journey breakdowns!
Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.
As a production writer, he participated in numerous studio meetings with companies such as Sony, DreamWorks, Universal Pictures, Disney, Warner Bros., and numerous production and management companies. He previously signed a development deal with Lionsgate and has taken on various writing assignments, including producing the miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Hayley Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric Larsa and Bruce Bucklina star in the thriller Hunter’s Creed, as well as many Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @ken电影 and Instagram @KenMovies76.
