*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Ad Astra focuses on astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father, Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones) and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
Prior to watching Ad Astra, I had no idea what to expect and, fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and found it to be a thought provoking watch. Those expecting a film that is action packed will be disappointed as Ad Astra focuses more on its story. There are a few thrilling action sequences, including a lunar rover chase scene that sees Roy attacked by scavenging pirates whilst on his way to the SpaceCom base on the moon, which has become a cheap tourist trap, much to his disappontment.
Over the course of his 30 year long career, Pitt has shown his strength as an actor, however, I think that a lot of people will be surprised that he is yet to win an Oscar for Best Actor. The only Academy Award he's won is for being a producer on 12 Years A Slave which won the Best Picture award in 2014. Pitt succeeds at making Roy an interesting individual, however, I don't think he'll be nominated at the Academy Awards next year. While I wasn't a huge fan of the film, I found his performance in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood to be more memorable. Ad Astra features a solid supporting cast that includes Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland as Colonel Pruitt and Ruth Negga as Helen Lantos, however, neither has enough screen time to leave much of a lasting impression.
Roy's mission to find his father proves to be an incredibly difficult task. This is because Clifford has been missing for sixteen years. He was believed to be dead until mysterious power surges are linked to the Lima Project, which he was the leader of. This leads to Roy being sent across the Solar System in order to reach his father and find out what happened. For the majority of its 124 minute runtime, Ad Astra succeeds at being a compelling and unpredictable watch. All of the drama that occurs throughout the film leads to a moving and emotional climax when Roy finally reunties with his father. Unfortunately, it's not the happy reunion he was hoping for as Clifford confesses that he didn't once think about his wife or his son whilst he was gone. This revelation is both shocking and heartbreaking, however, that doesn't stop Roy from wanting to bring his father home. I think the ending will have a stronger impact on those who can relate to Roy whose relationship with his father is non-existent. Finding his father causes Roy to reflect on his own life and inspires him to reconnect with those closest to him, including his wife, Eve (Liv Tyler), who is only briefly seen in flashbacks. Despite the tragedy he just experienced, Roy returns to Earth with new-found optimism. I quite liked this ending as it concluded Roy's story and doesn't leave the viewer wondering what happens next.
The standout aspect of Ad Astra is its visual effects which is why it’s worth watching on the big screen. A lot of sci-fi films that overindulge on the special effects fail to impress as they tend to lack in interesting characters and a compelling story. That wasn’t the case for Ad Astra as director James Gray uses the special effects as a tool rather than relying on them. The cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema also deserves a mention too and another reason why it's a must-see at the cinema as they won't be as impressive when viewed on a smaller screen. The special effects succeed at making you feel like you're in space with Roy and, by using close-up shots of his face, we can clearly see how much the mission is affecting him, both mentally and emotionally.
At the Cannes Film Festival in 2016, Gray stated that he wanted to make a sci-fi film to feature "the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie and to basically say, 'Space is awfully hostile to us'." I think that he has mostly succeeded. Despite filming beginning in mid-Augst in 2017, it took two years to complete, mainly due to its cutting-edge special effects. It also received a poor reception from test screenings which lead to reshoots being conducted and an increase in the budget from $80 million to over $100 million. A lot of hard work has clearly gone into making Ad Astra an unforgettable viewing experience and, fortunately, the hard work has paid off.
One of the biggest questions is if there is life in outer space. When Roy reunites with Clifford, we learn that the latter has become obsessed with the possibility of non-human intelligent life in space. Throughout the film, Clifford is praised by the U.S. Space Command and is viewed in a positive light. However, when we finally meet Clifford towards the end, we see a darker side to him. His obsessive personality and actions have lead to the deaths of his crew and threatened life on Earth. This made me think if finding life in outer space was worth it if it meant the deaths of others.
With a film like Ad Astra, I think that it's best to view it without having seen the trailers or any knowledge of the plot. Those who saw the trailer were expecting a sci-fi epic that's similar to Interstellar which is why they left disappointed. Just because it's set in space doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be the same to any other sci-fi film that's been released.
Ad Astra may not be one of the best sci-fi films that's been released, however, it's entirely worth viewing on the big screen for its mesmerising visual effects and also for Brad Pitt's leading performance.
8/10
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