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I totally disagree with this. I think there was a massive cost in skipping the whole life of his daughter. I also think a story shouldn´t repeat itself, it´s better to tell a story: Cost, cost cost, no cost than a story of : Cost, cost, cost, cost. The ending should always be the opposite of the rest of the movie. Meaning if there is a cost to be paid in the end there shouldn´t be. I also don´t think this movie is about cost, but the nature of time and what that does to a person. The movie doesn´t end in Cooper having no cost, the movie ends in Cooper going back on the mission to save his team mate. The movie is about Cooper´s incapability of adjusting to the cost his mission, not about the cost he has to pay. By the end of the movie he has become okay with the cost, so he is now a changed man. When Cooper in the very end decides to go back on the mission, he has then become okay with the mission, he has nothing to lose anymore, he has found resolution and reconciliation with it all and THAT is what this movie is about. The relationship with the daughter is only a vehicle for a more fundamental problem. Given the fact that a story should always end in the opposite place from where it started, this movie does not break the laws of storytelling, on the contrary, it does exactly as it should. If you only pay attention to the relationship with the daughter you missed the point of their relationship.

I don't think I wanna leave the theatre heartbroken. The tune, the theme, all about hope. That we will push through. A parent lost all his time with the child and finally met them in their dying state, he dropped himself into the black hole, he has been making sacrifices and sacrifices. He took a leap without faith. Surely about to die. I think he deserves his cake.

The original ending is good enough, he missed out on his children's life despite he being out for merely days, due to the relativity of time, that was his punishment and sacrifice. But, your ending is actually great, leaves things to mind and a clear message, still, a good alternative.

Ummm... ok. There's a few things wrong here. In the end of the climactic scene in the 3rd act, Cooper misses out on raising Murph. This is a huge cost, especially since the story establishes that this is what Cooper really desires and partly fights for. As for your ending? It's too cliche. Sure, sacrifice is endearing, but it's been done too many times before. That's a typical story of the soldier. But this is a story of a father, intertwined with time and space travel lol. The original ending was different. Sure, Cooper got to see Murph again, but to see her in her old age? It'd been years since I'd cried when I first saw that scene because I knew how much Cooper had lost and can never gain back. But then she gives Cooper that final goodbye to go see Brand, who's waiting on that planet. It's a new start with her well wishes. It's a great resolution to a great and surprising climactic scene.

Dear Tyler for me the high point was when he meets his daughter and repeats the dialogue " because my father promised me". Films don't always work on formulas like paying the cost. Without that the scene was emotional enough, the girl has become old and that itself is a cost he had to pay . Thanks for the video

Enjoyed your take on an alternate ending but I think there was a cost in the original, he still missed an entire life with Murph and whilst he did see her again it was bittersweet. She was on her death bed and he had no place being with this now extended family that was there.

Actually he made a big sacrifice, that he couldn't spend time with Murph till she dies , not just that he couldn't even see his son at the end , but he kept his promise , i still prefer the original ending ! , But this one's good one too

From the start to the end, I think it's important to understand how the writer wanted to show the characters journey. Throughout the journey, they emphasized on this thing called the father daughter relationship and the promise of him coming back cause his dad promised him. So the ending of the movie actually completes as a full circle to the arc of "The Promise" and the ending serves its purpose both ends. He fulfilled his promise but at what cost, instead of being there for murph at all stages of her life with her husband, her children nd grand children, he came back at her daughter's own demise and to be that old. And even after that he had only minutes of interaction which seriously means nothing for years old gap. So for cooper he actually paid a heavy cost but still left her daughter die peacefully by completing his promise to her and knowing full well that not just speculation but he actually saved humanity.

Honestly, Cooper’s ending is way more in tune with his character being a wanderer. He never feels truly settled. I believe the issue really starts Matt Damon’s character. The entire film skids to a stop. It struggles to find the excitement. Then we are treated to the Casey Affleck stuff which is the weakest part of the film. Copper suffered enough. He lost a bunch of his family. His wife, his father in law, he misses out on coming back to his son. Punishing the main character in the end doesn’t make for a better experience here. Just look at the original ending to Get Out. It punished him and sent him to jail. Sure, it hammers the message in but the audience loses a hero in a time where we needed one.

I really like this chap's modest approach. Today, let's fix a Nolan film, next week, top 10 rookie mistakes in Citizen Kane and how he single-handedly fixed them.

I love how you bring up "Cost" in many of your videos. I think its one of the most important aspects of storytelling. And I don't just mean "Story Circle"-wise, but also for your audience to connect to your character. What are they willingly sacrificing for the greater good. I was drilled from a story class that "Heart of Darkness" is the best tool to make audiences care, but Cost is even stronger in my oppinion. Also, to experience HoD is passive, and making the decision at a high cost is as active as it gets.

It's interesting in theory. However I'd proport that Kubrick's 2001 didn't have a final cost at the end. It was suggesting that humans are insignificant and that the notion of the universe continues... we are not important enough to need to make a sacrifice, instead we are purely the universe experiencing itself through itself. That's kind of how I saw it! Would love to hear your perspective. Thanks for the video.

Sorry Tyler. You don't fix Interstellar. Interstellar fixes you. There was an extreme cost, he missed out on his entire child's life.

Thank you, Tyler. I agree with the other comments though. There was a huge cost for Cooper in missing all those years, so the ending doesn't fall flat at all. And Cooper's dilemma as stated by you isn't a true dilemma, because he doesn't know for sure if he's able to return or not. It's just a heartbreaking choice and an incredibly huge gamble. Which pays off in the end, but at tremendous cost.

I literally had to search up what the ending for Interstellar ment after I watched it! Thanks so much for fixing it 😊

Tyler I’ve learned so much from you and your videos

I love each and every one of your ‘I fixed’ series

I love the ending you suggested, I wasn't even complaining about the original end but now that I've seen this...it really makes a difference

Thank you, Tyler! I never managed to grasp your concept of philosophical conflict- now it klicked!

My favorite movie of all time. Great alternative ending. Thanks for another insightful video!

I can see an argument for both the original and this alternate ending. This alternate is indeed more impactful, but general audiences don't tend to like see the main character die. There was still cost in the original ending; he missed her entire life. For me personally, I found the original slightly forgetful, so perhaps I would have liked this punchier alternate ending.

...so him not seeing his children grow up wasn't a sacrifice enough? 😅

Awesome video, Tyler. Well done!

Hi Tyler, these "Fixed" videos are of my favorite series of yours. Would you be able to do the Jurassic World franchise? Where to even begin with the let down that third installment, Dominion, was. I lost sleep rewriting it in my head that same night lol. Anyway, can't wait to see more of these types of vids! Being shown mistakes that writers make is extremely valuable to the writing process.

Interesting Video. Although I think the original ending is actially fine. Cooler does pay a heavy price which is that he misses basically Murph's entire life. Also, I do not see how your fix actually adds another choice. The way you outlined it, Cooper is stuck in the black whole with no way out so he might as well transmit the data. There is no choice. If you want to fix the ending, I think it would be more effective to rewrite it so that Cooper knows the only way to save humanity is to go into the black whole, which would cost him his time with Murph, BEFORE he enters the black whole, leaving the rest of the movie unchanged. I would the only condence the whole scene inside the black whole, because the philosophical climax in that case happens before Cooper enters the black whole.

I always wanted endings to be dark when i was younger. That's not necessarily always a good thing. I wouldn't call it a "fix". It's a nice idea. Not a fix

Cooper's line "What happens now?" and the closing of the tesseract after the emotional climax that you outlined would've been an epic final 90 seconds of the movie

I liked your ending but also disagree, the cost is: not looking his children grow up, very heartbreaking for a father/mother

I don't agree that there is no sacrifice. He didn't get to watch his children grow he wasn't there for the grandpa's funeral. He essentially missed out on... life. He lost life. But I do think your ending is great!

He not only keeps his promise to his daughter, but is having a second piece of the cake when is giving the opportunity to go meet Ann Hathaway's character (with whom he probably can have some romance) and even execute plan B, populating the other planet.

The way in which I thought you "fixed" this, was instead of Cooper seeing an elderly Murph in a hospital bed, he is told that she is dead, and the door opens to a memorial of Murph. In fact, that might be one of the reasons why the space station he is on is named after her -- in her memory. That thought hit me hard as well, and also shows that sometimes you can't keep promises. It shows his sacrifice, and his payoff is that he got to save humanity in the end. It's also unexpected. Nobody ever suspects to go after the children.

I think the actual philosophical conflict goes between what's safe / what we know, and faith / what we DON'T know. It kind of tries to redefine science in an adventurer concept, risking all. Guiding ourselves with LOVE instead of NUMBERS, or something like that. This is present from the first scene with Murph and Coop; passing throught both Dr. Brand (father and daughter); passing throught Mann; and until the end, with all the Coop actions/decisions involved. I don't know if that message would work the same without the actual good ending (which nonetheless have some execution problems). But the option of the video is an interesting idea anyway.

This change the whole story and meaning of the movie, but in a good way!!! ❤

This is an awful fix. The cost to Cooper was that he never got to experience life with his kids. What other sacrifice did you want!? That is BAD ENOUGH! It would have been a TERRIBLE movie if he had never met his daughter at the end of her life. That was the moment that redeemed the film for me.

How can you fix something perfect

Firstly, I love your "I Fixed..." series ("The Purge" one was great) - please keep them coming! However, while your alternative is interesting - as others have echoed, I definitely felt there was a great cost to Cooper missing his daughter's entire life - only to see her briefly on her death bed, where he essentially was a stranger to his family & had to leave. My only other comment with your alternative take is... what about Brand? (Anne Hathaway's character) Without Cooper, she's stuck alone Edmunds planet - assuming Edmunds still died in this take? (Of course, she doesn't NEED a male character to complete her story - but it would be a rather lonely ending I guess) Anyway, thx again and look forward to future "fixes" 😉

As plenty others have stated, I can appreciate the actual ending for the cost that I feel _was_ asked of Cooper in the life with Murph that he sacrificed. However, it could well be that your ending would’ve had more impact. I don’t know. It’s hard to gauge exactly - the image of Cooper reuniting with a Murph who is now much older than he is holds some tremendous emotional impact.

Respectfully, you are missing the underlying theme-- this is a movie about LOVE above all else. "Love is the one thing that can transcend time and space", that's the whole point. The end does exact a cost from him-- even in miraculously keeping his promise to Murph he sacrifices an entire lifetime with her to save humanity. That's what's so awful and beautiful about the scene where he watches the messages, we have to watch him go through the sacrifice and witness his pain. But their love keeps them together spiritually through time and space beyond where anything else could. And when he goes to rescue humanity and save Brand, he does both out of love. The climax of the film is the reveal that through going to Brand he will save not only her but the whole human race. It's a beautiful trio of sacrificial love stories involving Cooper- a father who will give up everything to come home to his beloved daughter, a man who bravely sacrifices himself for Brand (an ultimate act of love) and the sacrifices he makes to save humanity. That's why Murph narrates with such reverence and fondness. Cooper's destiny, as it would be from the future perspective of Murph, would be a tale of legendary love and sacrifice. Brand has found the impossible new home she dreamed of with her own love for humanity, but is all alone, heartbroken and the stakes have never been higher for her, she just knows she will die along with everyone on earth, it really does seem hopeless as she briefly slips into the damsel in distress archetype. But *we* know our hero Cooper reaches her, humanity is saved, and they live forever as legends.

I get it, but If Cooper doesn't get back he can't see if his sacrifice was worth it... He lost raising Murph, and that's the cost...

Hey Tyler do you think you could make a video on how to create chemistry between characters?

As much as I love your attempt, this would be a disastrous ending in multiple ways. Cooper already sacrificed himself when he detached himself from endurance. Making that same decision again would be ridiculous to see. Moreover, the gravity problem is only part of the equation. Anna Hathway's character finding the new home was as integral to the story as the gravity problem so not acknowledging it would solely cause the film to fail. Correcting a Christopher Nolan movie isn't a piece of cake. If anybody thinks this is possible by a one-dimensional solution like this, they haven't understood the film in the first place.

I don't know, "Fixing" something implies that there's something wrong with the thing to begin with and I can't bear to hear that. Interstellar is by far my favorite Nolan film. Beautifully told. The ending definitely doesn't fall flat, I cannot agree with this idea.

I love that, try to do one for Tenet, I’ve been trying to do the same since Tenet is my favorite film ever, and I get why people don’t like it that much especially cinephiles, So, I wish Tenet was a little more meaningful than it actually is, not just as a concept, but as purpose to the whole thing, I read most of the critics articles about it and they all agreed on one sentence “why should we care?”

how was there no sacrifice? he only meets his daughter again as she’s on her death bed. he sacrificed decades, a life with his daughter, in order to get that data. i don’t think the main character has to lose everything in order for the story to be good.

I mean there was a cost, he never got to see Murph grow up and become a woman. I think both endings are great though, Nolan did the best upside ending and you came up with the best tragic downside ending. I do prefer yours though as the message hits harder with the theme of love and promise.

I agree with your statement that the ending requires an ultimate sacrifice, an ultimate choice. But the situation is that after Cooper has entered the Black Hole, he does not have an exit either way. The choice is not between seeing Murph and saving humanity. The choice is between saving humanity or doing nothing. As a huge Nolan fan, most of his movies do have a sacrifice that the hero or main character makes in the third act. While there could be a further twist, I don't think this is the right one, but the simple thought that the ending needs a choice is quite insightful and brilliant.

If I were to change anything I would change the following: 1. Murphy's realisation that her Dad was the ghost. It seemed odd how Murphy suddenly realises this without being given a real clue that it was her Dad. Plus I don't think she was emotional enough at the point of realisation. She kind of just smiles. If she really believed her own father sent the message then she would have collapsed in front of the bookshelf. I have thought it might have been better if the message she wrote in her book said "STAY DAD" and with the book only being shown at the point of realisation. Earlier she would have told her Dad (and the audience) that 'It says "STAY DAD", but we wouldn't have seen that it actually contained the word 'DAD'. That could have been the required clue that results in the realisation. Then at the point of realisation she could say "It was FROM you" or something. 2. The point when Dad and Daughter are reunited should have been longer in my view. It feels rushed. Murphy's extended family should not have been in the room when Cooper walks in. That was just weird. It should have just been the two of them. Cooper could have met some of the family before hand but they shouldn't be part of the reuniting scene. Cooper and Murphy would obviously have much to discuss so the first meeting would have been extreme emotion. Then they could meet again later when Murphy can suggest Cooper goes to Brand. It's doesn't seem right to me that Cooper would just leave when Murphy is still alive after chatting just for a few minutes. So maybe it would have been better if Murphy had died leaving Cooper with nothing but to go to Brand. Although why Cooper and Brand would want to stay on Edmund's planet doesn't make much sense to me either. Given the problem of gravity was solved then surely Brand would want to get back to earth or to the space station around Saturn.

Reaches a much deeper level of heart

Hi! Although I admire you a lot, I don’t agree with you this time. Cooper doesn’t make a choice, he is stuck in the tesseract, so he couldn’t chose not to save humanity, it’s the only option. So maybe before entering the tesseract he should have the choice.

I think the philosophical theme is more about Love has the power that unable to explain yet can solve the problems that humans need. Like Hattaway character choose love to travel to the planet, which in the end is the planet that can let humans live. So the Power of Love actually helps the humanity, which through Cooper and Murph's connection, and I would think letting him meet his daughter right before the death actually fits the theme

The thing is, he dis sacrifice all his time with his daughter. He got to see her. Once. On her dying bed. That doesn't undo her life without her father and his life without his daughter. If anything, it strengthens the blow, since it shows all of what he sacrificed.

I think seeing your loved ones die (your own daughter is the greatest cost..) and missing the whole life with her.( so ya

I agree with most of your video essays, but I have a hard time believing *anyone* would look at Interstellar's ending and think Cooper goes back to his daughter cost-free. He is literally seeing her when she's on her deathbed. He never gets to be a proper parent, his decades of absence greatly distresses (I would even say traumatizes) both of them, and he bursts into tears and crazed laughing in the tesseract when he realizes he has no way to prevent the past him from leaving his daughter. That's as harsh a cost as humanly capable for a parent.

Could you please do Fixing Gladiator?

this is amazing

I love it, so much better and more logical and in line with physical laws.

That was a thousand miles better, what a movie could be

He should also CHOOSE to go into the black hole with the knowledge he cannot make it out. If he finds out once he's in, it's just him making the best of a bad situation. If he makes the choice willingly, it is more compelling. Another way to accomplish this would be to somehow have the information transfer be connected with Murph dying or something else, forcing him to continue living without her, which could also work as an ending. Though, as some other commenters note, such a dire sacrifice would not necessarily align with the themes of the film. Perhaps then one should have an ending like written above, where he goes in thinking he will die for sure, making the conscious sacrifice, but through some miracle, his worthy sacrifice causes him to live. Difficult to sell that last kind of miracle, making it not be a simple deus ex machina, but I'm sure Nolan could do it.

Saying he had no sacrifice is an insane take. For him, it's been what, a year since he's seen his daughter? And the first thing he has to reckon with is she will die, and soon.

Brilliant 🙌🏿

WOW!

Damn that was a better ending than the original one. Nice job!

I think you’ve arrived at what was the original ending of the film. Due to the huge budget, there would have been pressure to do a Spielberg ending that would leave a mainstream audience more satisfied. Nolan started adding tacked on “up” endings after The Prestige I I think.

Whether or not you agree with Tyler's analysis, his point is that this is what could have made the film more universally powerful/well received, not what would make the already mega fans of Interstellar like the movie more.

Man!!! That was awesome!! You fixed a Christopher Nolan's movie!!!!! Now I understand why I found it so dull when I watched it!

I think that they did want to go with a more hopeful ending though. For me it wasn't the concept or the conflict at the end of the movie that lost me, it was (and I haven't seen this in a while so maybe I'm forgetting) that it was confusing why the black hole put him in that time and that place and how Merph was able to decode it correctly. Idk, I actually didn't mind it all that much, I just thought the bit about love in the middle of the movie was a bit on the nose.

I used to listen to your videos and i do have a request that can you make a video about the difference between internal conflict and philosophical conflict with examples? Because me and my friends who used to watch your video still used to get mixed up with internal conflict & philosophical conflict. Please help

Yes. Clearly Murph doesn't suffer enough in the movie. Genius.

Although, you given a good alternate ending but its typical. We already felt it too many time but Cristopher Nolan Sir given those emotion with his ending that hardly audience gone through. In a snap, cooper lost all the time that he could spend with his daughter and make beautiful memories(because the relativity of time). Just think what cooper will go through after this. I don't think the script needs any fixing. Nolan Sir's ending was the best. Love from India❣

"Cooper can't keep his promise" Some men just want to watch the world burn

That ending is so much better. And even thou the real ending attempts to mend his relationship with his daughter, it just gives anxiety to those too busy making a living that they forget to make a life.

I would like to of seen it back on Edmonds planet with Dr Brand looking up seeing something entering the atmosphere while his daughter finishing talking in the background then finish but still I enjoyed this film and the ending was good.

Yeah it works!!! ❤

No sacrifice? He sacrificed a huge amount in missing out on his daughter's life and also his son's life and death (which not many people seem to consider).

I think people in the comments are getting confused with what Tyler is saying. Tyler isn’t saying that the film had no cost. Of course we know Cooper missed out on time with his kids. Tyler said it lacks ‘the final cost’. The hardest decision the character has to make in the climax of the story. I liked Tyler’s alternate ending. 👍🏼

I feel like THIS WAS the original ending they wanted but didn't feel like it did the movie justice and THEIR "fix" was the ending we got where the protagonist gets to keep his promise ( kinda she saw him when she was about to die she could've easily thought it was a hallucination).

I think the beauty of the original is that he loses her both to time and then to old age. He sacrificed his life with her so that she could have one. It’s like they both missed each other but could not have lived without the other

Cooper did make a huge sacrifice. He missed his kids growing up. He only say Murph in her death bed. How is that not a big enough sacrifice. It also reflects on the sacrifices that future Astronauts have to make. Imagine saying goodbye to everyone and everything you’ve ever known. In all honesty, it’s the ending of interstellar that made it the movie. The movie may not be perfect, but it’s not the ending that needs fixing.

Can you do this with Star Wars movies

If he had not met his daughter...it would have been life time agony and pain for all of us viewers. cinematically an unforgettable one.. a tantalizing one...

Wow! So much better with your ending. I tend to not like stories with a Disney ending that make the audience "Feel Good". You Rock Tyler. I haven't made a short film in a while because I want to be sure the story is strong. It's hard to be patient, but it is better to wait and do things right.

Wow I got here 50 seconds after upload. . . Hope the vid will be good(Knowing Tyler it will be)

I like this alternative ending, although I would argue that not being able to spend time with Murph until she's on her deathbed is a big sacrifice as well. He literally missed out on her childhood and adulthood, and basically didn't have a chance to actually see her grow with his own eyes. However, I do think your proposed ending does send a powerful message about family bonds, albeit more depressing lol

I Like your idea but I like more Nolan's Version, that he is still there and sets out to find the Woman. ...that was amazing because when I first saw that ending I thought: yeah right He s gonna go blind with that small ship and find her in Infinite space! But then I read a Nolan Interview that his Inspiration for the movie was the image of our ancestors leaving safe land in a boat made out of one tree to sail into the Infinite ocean without a map to find new Islands. Crazy and fascinating species mankind is!

I think that your version is a good take. Still, I think you made Cooper sound too insisting in wanting to see again his daughter. He just isn't prepared to see her age, he is terrorized by time passing that quickly, but he knows nobody can be sure that there's a way back, he might die. He prioritizes saving her from the terrible conditions of Earth, but he does achieve more than that. He finds in the tesseract the product of their love, the future they already created is in front of him. He is complete, ready to let that time pass, he can die happy. But he gets to live and spends a moment with her daughter, having already accepted her death and feeling that no time has been wasted, and no time gifted to him must go to waste.

I disagree that there was no cost, the fact that he missed the majority of his Daughter's life and only gets to see her on her deathbed is the cost. This alternate ending was pretty neat though.

I would get rid of the ridiculous "Love is the only thing that transcends time" nonsense. It's sappy, overly sentimental, cheesy and really takes away from a film that otherwise is mostly grounded in science and exploration.

Homedawg I love you and you’re great but you need to make a video about adventure time and or gravity falls 🙏

Perfect ending

The AUDACITY.

Here the cost he paid is not being with her daughter in her growth that's what he missed and also her daughter diying before her

there was a cost tho. shes on her death bed. he left her and missed her entire life. also, him having a happy ending doesnt mean he had costs/sacrifices throughout the entire film.

I think that perhaps the philosophical climax of the movie starts right before he enters the black hole and sacrifices himself to save Brand. This however is flawed as the choice he makes is not really related to the philosophical conflict of the movie. The dilemma should be between trying to save the world and choosing for love. This dilemma is also not represented in the tesseract scene. However, what I think the movie is trying to convey, is that through choosing for love (sacrificing himself for Brand), he was able to save the world. And on a grander scale, his love for his daughter is what ultimately saved the world.

Aw no comment on anne hathaway? An ily at the end wouldve been a bit cheesy. The emotional bits never sat well with me because anne hathaways love theory was totally in contradiction to her preceding no-nonsense scientist demeanor, and coop ugly crying about murph while ignoring his son and john lithgow just exploded outta nowhere. The film couldve been exactly the same but without the love theme and it wouldve been better for it.

It did not need fixing.

No cost? No sacrifice? Bruh.

Hi buddy! I will like to start saying that I love your work. But is important to point that you didn't fixed the script, you just make your own version about it, because fixing imply that something is wrong or broke, and this is not the case. On the other hand, is never easy writing such a masterpiece like this one from scratch, and with the plus of accurate fiscal knowledge behind, it's to easy come later with version's of "what if this or that". So my humble advise is that you should change the title of your video, that's an important decision to make. 🖖

Fix interstellar ending. What do you mean by that? 😦

I think Nolan did a good job in the movie because in the end he and she didn't are the same as the father and daughter back then. she is on her death bed and the time is gone!