RATING: A
- RATED PG-13 for some violence and bloody images and for brief strong language
- RELEASED: September 20, 2019
- RUNTIME: 2 hr. 4 min.
- WRITTEN BY: James Gray
- DIRECTED BY: James Gray
- STARRING: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland
‘Ad Astra’ is a new sci-fi film starring Brad Pitt as Roy McBride, an astronaut who must venture to Neptune to find his father (also an astronaut) who went missing on a mission 20 years prior.
He was experimenting with anti-matter, and after a series of world-threatening electrical surges, he is believed to be alive. With another masterful performance from Brad Pitt, ‘Ad Astra’ is not only enjoyable for its action and originality, but it is also a deep, emotional and human film. Of course it’s a ton of fun to see Roy’s adventure in space as he battles moon pirates and evil baboons–there is much originality to this film. The action sequences are wildly exciting, and the visual effects are the best I’ve seen this year. Every shot looks as if it was pulled from NASA’s archives. The cinematography is also exceptional, with a beautiful array of colors, and overall I love the feel of the film.
It feels like a throwback to sci-fi movies of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s like ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Blade Runner’, and I really appreciated that classic feel. But beyond the exciting sci-fi content, what really makes ‘Ad Astra’ special is its ability to explore Roy as a character. Roy feels abandoned by his father and, as a result, he has detached himself from human relationships, even alienating his wife (Liv Tyler). Roy’s journey isn’t only physical, but it’s also one of self-discovery. He’s looking within himself, learning the importance of human connection, and trying to reconcile with the fact that his father valued researching extra-terrestrial life more than his own son. It’s a film about loneliness, and about our desire to be loved and to believe in a higher power, such as another life form.
Overall, ‘Ad Astra’ is an exciting while also moving, original sci-fi film that’s able to both entertain and tell a deeply emotional story about a man coming to grips with his present, his past, and his loneliness. It’s the best sci-fi film since 2017’s ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and certainly one of the best films of the year.