Skip to content
If you’re a 40-year-old millennial like me, the Interstellar soundtrack might hit a little different than most. Hans Zimmer’s score taps into a sound that mirrors our generation’s own journey—one that blends nostalgia with the awe and anxiety of growing up in an age of constant change. As kids, we grew up on the cinematic epics of the 80s and 90s, such as E.T., Star Wars and Back to the Future, just to name a few. And now, as adults, Interstellar speaks to the complexity of the world that we find ourselves in today.
Zimmer’s composition is more than just background music to a sci-fi movie; it’s a rich, emotional landscape that draws from the vastness of space while speaking to the intimacy of human connection. His decision to build the score around the powerful, resonant tones of a church organ was a stroke of genius. It evokes both the grandeur of the cosmos and the spirituality of time and memory, as if reminding us that no matter how far we travel, we’re still bound by the love and the forces that make us human.
Then there’s “Mountains,” a track that takes the listener to the edge of their seat with its ticking, pulsating rhythm, mimicking the relentless march of time, a theme that hits hard for anyone, like me, in their 40s. The passage of time, both in the film and in real life, feels like something both vast and inescapable. Zimmer uses time signatures that feel like they’re stretching and compressing, just like the plot of Interstellar, and it evokes a very real sense of urgency and existential questioning.
One of the most poignant aspects of the score is how it reflects the generational concerns that have been simmering for millennials. We’re a generation that has been both optimistic and burdened by the realities of a rapidly changing world with climate concerns, technological leaps, and economic instability looming large. Just like the film’s characters, we’re asking the big questions here: What will the future hold? What kind of world are we leaving behind? Zimmer’s score echoes those anxieties while offering a bit of catharsis at the same time. What interesting questions to ponder as we go into the election in a few weeks.
In many ways, Interstellar is the perfect soundtrack for a generation that grew up looking to the stars and is now navigating the complicated, grounded realities of adulthood. Whether you’re a cinephile, a vinyl collector, or someone who just loves getting lost in an epic score, this album is a must-have. Zimmer has given us a score that doesn’t just accompany a film—it’s a sonic journey that mirrors the experience of grappling with time, love and what it means to leave a legacy.