Says dumb
I like the emotional payoff, but a message that requires Morse code, a watch and a reader who happens to see it is a lot of steps. The film does not explain why this is the only way.
How did Cooper send data through the bookshelf and the watch?
Interstellar
Interstellar (2014)
At 2:43:20
Verdict: Guilty. 67% of viewers say this is dumb. Top defense: Inside the tesseract, the film frames gravity as the one force that crosses time, and Cooper uses it to send a message.
Guilty
67% dumb33% explained
780 votes
Dumbness rating
6.8/ 10(780 ratings)Broken scienceConvenient coincidence
Your verdict
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What happens in this scene
Inside the tesseract, Cooper sees his daughter's room at different times. He sends data to Murph by moving the second hand of a watch and by nudging books. She decodes the signal as Morse code and solves the gravity equation.
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Reviews 3
Says dumb
The idea that gravity can carry a message back through time is the film's central claim. The film then uses it to deliver a very specific signal through a watch. Too convenient.
Says explained
The film sets up the watch in the first act as a gift, and Murph's belief in her father's ghost earlier on. It is built to pay off.
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Actually, it’s explained
Inside the tesseract, the film frames gravity as the one force that crosses time, and Cooper uses it to send a message.
- DumbScenesStaff9 months ago
Inside the tesseract, the film frames gravity as the one force that crosses time, and Cooper uses it to send a message.
- canon_keeperFounding Critic #3Supporter3 months ago
The watch is set up as a gift at the start and the ghost is established long before this point.
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Quick Fix
Fixes are written by people. The smallest change, in 200 characters or fewer, that would have fixed the scene. AI is used only for duplicate detection, length and moderation.
Add a line
Add a line from TARS: 'Gravity is the only signal that crosses the barrier, and the watch is the only mass Murph still keeps near her.'
Would this fix it?80% say yes
rocketry_rob1 month ago
A newer idea
Swap a detail
Replace the watch with a model of the wormhole that Murph keeps on her desk. The message would be in the way the pieces move.
Would this fix it?52% say yes
harbor_lightsFounding Critic #58Supporter3 weeks ago
Suggest a fix
Also asked as
- How does Cooper communicate through the watch?
- Does the tesseract scene make sense?