Interstellar fans mindblown after finding out meaning behind ticking sound 10 years after film's initial release
It's been 10 years since its initial release, but fans of Interstellar are still learning about some of the more intricate details in its plot.
Regarded as one of the best sci-fi films to date, the Christopher Nolan-directed 2014 flick is outstanding from the acting, to the cinematography, to the score.
Focusing on the mission of former NASA pilot Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) to find a new planet for humans to live on as Earth continues to decay away, we are taken on an emotional hunt through space and time with Cooper and his team.
The film is so iconic in fact, that it is being shown in cinemas again this year, being available in IMAX 70mm for the first time.
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Anne Hathaway helps to make up the cast as Dr. Amelia Brand, as if the film needed any more star power, along with Hans Zimmer composing its iconic soundtrack.
Director Nolan is known for his attention to detail in his films, and Interstellar is no different, even planting a 500-acre corn field for a shot in the movie to avoid using CGI, as he often tries to, and even made a $150,000 (£112,000) profit after selling it after filming.
He even hired a well-known physicist to create equations to help make the most realistic depiction of a black hole, an animation that took 100 hours per frame to render. Talk about attention to detail.
However, there is a detail that even the most keen eared viewers may have missed while watching the classic. Spoilers ahead.
It's all to do with the ticking noise that we hear when the characters are on Miller's planet, up to their knees in water.
You might have missed it, so it might be worth booking tickets to watch the 10th anniversary screening of the film in cinemas to see what we're talking about, as even if you heard the noise, you might not know if that was done on purpose or what its true purpose really was.
A ticking sound can be heard every 1.25 seconds on Miller's planet, and as we now known that every hour on the planet is equal to seven Earth years, every tick represents an entire day on Earth. As if the scene itself wasn't already intense enough.
It's jaw-dropping stuff and further highlights how much effort the production crew put into certain details, and if you go back and count the ticks, you'll see that the difference in time between Cooper and his daughter Murphy was in front of us the whole time.
However, some people have just realised what the eerie ticking sounds signify, and took to social media to share how shocked they were at the revelation.
One called it the 'best movie of all time', with others trying their hand at maths to see if the movie got it right with exactly how long Cooper was on the planet, but this is Nolan - he's probably spot on.
Another user shared: “This movie should’ve won every Oscar.”
A third said: “My brain is big enough for this when I haven’t seen the movie. My brain is screaming that this isn’t how time works but I’m missing so much context.”
Another said: “This movie should’ve won every Oscar.”
But do you know what causes the time warp on the planet?
It’s down to time dilation, which is where time slows down under the influence of a strong gravitational field.
Not only is it influenced by gravity and motion, but it also leads to different experiences of time depending on the circumstances.
It’s so complex that it can result in one person experiencing a few seconds while another person sees everything in slow motion.
Such as Einstein's special relativity theory which states that the faster an object accelerates, the slower it moves through time.
So, gravity's pull affects the passage of time, and as Miller's planet is near a black hole, it’s experiencing time at a much slower rate compared to Earth.
Yup. I'm going to need a lie down now.
Interstellar is now showing in cinemas (again), in honour of its 10th anniversary.
Topics: Christopher Nolan, Matthew McConaughey, Film, TV and Film, Space, Science
Joshua Nair