Ad Astra

photo courtesy of variety.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     In Ad Astra, astronaut Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is nearly killed when a mysterious surge of energy from space damages his Space Command equipment. The surge emanated from a distant ship in orbit around Neptune—a ship commanded by Roy’s father. To stop the surge before it gets worse, Space Command recruits Roy to travel to Mars, where a transmitting station will allow him to send a message to his long-lost father.

     Ad Astra feels sort of like last year’s First Man meets Apocalypse Now. It’s an odyssey across unknown territory to find a man who has gone beyond the reach of the law (Apocalypse Now), and the protagonist overcomes incredible odds but often prioritizes his mission over human connection (First Man). Of course, both of those films are somewhat lonely, and the same can be said of Ad Astra, which spends a lot of its time in solitude with Roy. Its mood, therefore, might not be appealing to everybody, but for science fiction fans it offers beautiful imagery and some thought-provoking ideas.

photo courtesy of vox.com

     I don’t think Ad Astra is quite strong enough to become a sci-fi classic, but it’s a worthwhile experience if you can stomach its slow, rather methodical pace. My main complaints have to do with the mechanics of the script, which relies too much on narration to underscore its message. It loses points on subtlety. But more broadly, the story weaves things together admirably enough, building to a thoughtful conclusion. And though it can seem stoic or emotionless on its way, it ends up being optimistic/humanistic at its core.

     If you’re not super hyped about any of that, Ad Astra has plenty going on onscreen. Brad Pitt gives a really good performance, perhaps doing more capital-A acting here than he has in other recent movies. Meanwhile, the special effects are fantastic. Ad Astra maintains a semblance of realism—it’s set in the “near-future”—so its visuals depict our own solar system but with human modifications/enhancements. Its shots are beautiful, sometimes disquieting, and, rarely, truly memorable.

Ad Astra is rated PG-13 for some violence and bloody images, and for brief strong language.

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