Interstellar Gets An Amazing Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Exhibit
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Interstellar is the kind of movie that I want to watch so badly that I’d even take a GameBoy version of it at this point. So it is with much jaw dropping and wolf whistling that I bring to you news of Christopher Nolan‘s universe-traversing film getting a virtual reality experience as part of the marketing campaign. This one is more legit than me promoting The Dark Knight by charging people to wear goggles and a pair of my Batman pajamas.
The brains behind the VR system Oculus Rift are working with Paramount Pictures and IMAX to make this extraordinary opportunity a reality in select cities. Using the Oculus Rift Development Kit 2, fans can strap on a headset and take a mindboggling three-minute ride through the cosmos on board the Endurance, the spaceship from Interstellar. You presumably don’t get to have conversations with Matthew McConnaughey’s Cooper or anything, but it still sounds like the most intriguing movie tie-in I can think of.
According to Space.com‘s Tariq Malik, who got his shot at the simulated space flight, had nothing but compliments. He said:
I had the chance to test drive the virtual reality exhibit first-hand, and to call it immersive is an understatement. From spectacular views of Saturn and stars in the windows to the Endurance interior itself, the amount of attention to detail is incredible. A shift from a spin-induced gravity to “weightlessness,” in particular, was as surprising as it was amazing.
Even Nolan himself was enthused, which is the true test for success. In a statement, he said he was “impressed with how the experience is able to put you in the cockpit,” and said it was “just like being back on set.” A higher compliment, there is none. Below you’ll find the dates and locations for the Oculus Rift tour.
New York City (Oct. 6-8): AMC Lincoln Square 13
Houston (Oct. 17-19): AMC Gulf Pointe 30
Los Angeles (Oct. 25-27): AMC City Walk
Chantilly, Virginia (Nov. 5-19): Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center (home of NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery)
I have to wonder if that three-minute “ride” offers users any clues as to where Interstellar will be going, though I’m certain that’s doubtful, given how secretive this production has remained over the past year. The lengthy film stars McConnaughey as part of a team trying to find an answer to our planet’s problems in the stars. Climate change is making humanity’s survival less and less likely, and they travel through a wormhole in search of a new planet to call home. The cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, Wes Bentley, Casey Affleck, Ellen Burstyn, David Oyelowo, John Lithgow, and more. Watch one of the fabulous trailers below.
You’ll be able to find Interstellar in a bunch of theaters in a bunch of different formats. It opens in select IMAX theaters on Wednesday, November 5, two days before opening everywhere on Friday, November 7.
