To cleanse the palate, I’m torn between thinking this looks awfully bland and generic and knowing that it’s a Christopher Nolan movie and therefore won’t be bland and generic. That’s what makes it intriguing. You know Nolan’s going somewhere with this flick that’s more interesting than the “2001”/”Contact” remix that the trailer makes it appear to be. But where?

Actually, given the subplot about a global food shortage, maybe he’s going for a parable about climate change. Can’t wait.

Hit or miss, though (and it’ll certainly hit), respect the man for understanding his medium. With television drama getting better every year, the payoff from the big screen increasingly comes from larger-than-life subjects like superheroes and space travel. Nolan mastered the former; it was inevitable that he’d turn to the latter. Someday soon lavishly produced musicals will also be back in vogue, not just an occasional one-off like “Chicago” or “Les Miz,” and then the universe will finally be in balance.