PG-13, 2h 2min
Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Opens Friday
Do we really want to know what’s out there? That’s the question that has plagued humanity for several millennia, as they gazed on up into the heavens and wondered if someone was gazing right back billions of light years away.
Director James Grey’s “Ad Astra” may or may not attempt to answer that question (no spoilers here!), but what it does do is deliver a stunning and meditative piece of cinema that answers a few questions about what it means to be human, while also delivering some of the most realistic and scientifically accurate space travel put on film.
Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father (Tommy Lee Jones) and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.
A lot of people have tried to compare this film to Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi hit “Interstellar,” but there are a lot of differences between the two. “Ad Astra” doesn’t get as inter-dimensional, first of all. Second – and this may be a hot take – “Ad Astra” is a much more effective movie.
It’s few and far between when a film begins to build trust in its audience so quickly. From the opening moments every shot was beautiful, every nuanced and quiet choice by Brad Pitt was pitch perfect, and every electronic ambient tone in the soundtrack enhanced the mood. I loved this movie.
Space has always been the ultimate canvas for Hollywood, with limitless possibilities for storytelling. Some are special effects-driven roller coasters, others are cold, quiet, science-guided stories. “Ad Astra” does a good job mixing a bit of both when necessary, but it has much more in common with “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Blade Runner” than it does “Armageddon” or “War of the Worlds.”
The cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema (“Dunkirk,” “Her”) is absolutely sublime. This man is going to win a lot of awards as his career evolves. He has my vote this season. Hopefully the Academy Awards take note.
On the performance front, Pitt is getting a lot of acclaim for his turn in “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” and truth be told, he is quite good in Quentin Tarantino’s film, but this is some of his best work in years. Legends Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland grace the screen for a bit with their wonderful presence, but this film is almost completely on Pitt’s shoulders, and he delivers. Mr. Pitt has always had very good taste in the material he chooses, both as an actor and the last few years as a producer under the A24 banner. Here he’s doing both and we are better for it.
As the film reaches its resolution I couldn’t help but wonder who this film is for. It might be too nuanced to reach mainstream audiences, too quiet for the current crop of comic book blockbusters, but I don’t care. This film washed over me in every way intended: directing, performance, sound design, and music. Thank goodness 20th Century Fox (now owned by Disney) greenlit this movie. Having Pitt push it no doubt helped that decision. I do hope it makes its money for the studio, helping to ensure they have the courage to invest in more original material like this, but for my part I left the theater awed.
“Ad Astra” may be about fathers and sons and saying goodbye to the past, but it still wants answers to the greatest mysteries of the universe and what the future may hold with them. We are fast approaching a time where our society has the scientific intelligence and technology to make a play for finding out. We just have to remember that sometimes, the most terrifying thing in space is humanity itself.
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