Ad Astra (2019 Film) Review
In the future, Earth's solar system is plagued by life-threatening electrical surges. After surviving one of these incidents, Roy McBride is informed by U.S. Space Command (SpaceCom) that the Lima Project, a mission to locate another form of life, may have something to do with these surges and that Clifford McBride, Roy's father, is somehow involved. Thus, Roy is tasked with finding the project and destroying it.
Brad Pitt leads "Ad Astra" as Major Roy McBride and the film features numerous supporting actors, such as Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland.
James Gray, who also co-wrote the script with Ethan Gross, directed "Ad Astra." Pitt and Gray co-produced the film with Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Anthony Katagas, Rodrigo Teixeira, and Arnon Milchan. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed "Ad Astra" through 20th Century Fox.
Brad Pitt leads "Ad Astra" as Major Roy McBride and the film features numerous supporting actors, such as Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland.
James Gray, who also co-wrote the script with Ethan Gross, directed "Ad Astra." Pitt and Gray co-produced the film with Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Anthony Katagas, Rodrigo Teixeira, and Arnon Milchan. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed "Ad Astra" through 20th Century Fox.
Overall Thoughts
"Ad Astra" is many things: a tragic father and son story, a cautionary look at humanity's hunger for something greater than itself, and a tale about the importance of human connections. Inspired by Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," James Gray and Ethan Gross have scripted a film that should be counted among the greatest science-fiction dramas based on the powerful messages alone.
However, "Ad Astra" is, perhaps, more of a message than a story. Though its story is solid and is key in building the message, the problem with it is that, despite clocking in at around two hours, many parts are plodding. While I may not have wanted to check the time, I wished the pacing was consistently measured, rather than tediously sluggish, which would've made for a more refined product. It's not like I wished for some kind of action sequence - this is not that kind of film - but it required some element that would've made it more engaging to sit through.
James Grey's film sees mankind build some semblance of civilization in space. Airlines now specialize in space transportation, families travel to the moon like it's an ordinary vacation, and even food chains like Applebee's and Subway have locations on the moon. On top of that, there are some interesting thoughts presented, courtesy of Brad Pitt's narration, about how humanity has a tendency to take something special, like the moon, and fill it with ordinary, everyday things, thereby taking the uniqueness out of it. Such an idea was so welcome that I almost wished we had more of this material, but that would've detracted from the main point of the movie. It's been reported that Grey's goal with this movie was to make the most realistic depiction of space travel, and I'd say he came close to accomplishing that. Maybe the brand tie-ins are a cheat, but even without that going for it, the dangers of space are portrayed more gruesomely than I anticipated as "Ad Astra" demonstrates many examples of how dangerous space travel can be. More so than other recent space travel flicks like "Gravity" or "First Man."
From an acting standpoint, "Ad Astra" is essentially the Brad Pitt show, which was confusing at first because the trailers showed more of actors Donald Sutherland and Liv Tyler than the final film actually possesses. Tommy Lee Jones, despite his character being crucial to the plot, has the briefest of screen time and most of his performance is through archived videos. There's little to say about these supporting actors when they're in the film for this short amount of time. As for Brad Pitt, he is perfect as Roy McBride. At no point did I think that he was holding back in his performance. He was clearly into the role as his line delivery is fraught with passion and heartache. He conveyed genuine introspection that was needed for the role and I sympathized with Roy and his tragic and complicated relationship with his father.
The dialogue given to Brad Pitt is thoughtful, but many lines tended to be too much for the character. As I mentioned earlier, Pitt's character narrates his journey across the stars and the problem is that Roy's inner feelings are explained to us, rather than shown. Now, narration can help convey something that would be too complex for one actor to show through expressions or body language. However, much of what is explained could've easily been shown through Pitt simply acting. Further perplexing is that Pitt does show us what his character is thinking or feeling, yet we still get the narration over these moments that explain it to us. I'm not quite certain as to why this is. Perhaps the film didn't want any confusion about the character's situation, so officially detailing his thoughts is an attempt to clarify. Who knows? Maybe this choice worked for you, but for me, I would've appreciated a little restraint.
Max Richter's score for the film surprised me. Not because anything stood out to me, but because nothing did. His work is often underplayed throughout the runtime. There are few moments where the film allows the score to shine, but even then, it's nothing too amazing and as someone who particularly adores his "On the Nature of Daylight" track, I expected more from the composer.
Because of its pacing and narration issues, "Ad Astra" may not be on the level of recent science-fiction films "Interstellar," "Arrival," or "The Martian," but it should certainly be remembered come Oscar season for Brad Pitt's performance, the screenplay, and visual presentation.
James Grey's film sees mankind build some semblance of civilization in space. Airlines now specialize in space transportation, families travel to the moon like it's an ordinary vacation, and even food chains like Applebee's and Subway have locations on the moon. On top of that, there are some interesting thoughts presented, courtesy of Brad Pitt's narration, about how humanity has a tendency to take something special, like the moon, and fill it with ordinary, everyday things, thereby taking the uniqueness out of it. Such an idea was so welcome that I almost wished we had more of this material, but that would've detracted from the main point of the movie. It's been reported that Grey's goal with this movie was to make the most realistic depiction of space travel, and I'd say he came close to accomplishing that. Maybe the brand tie-ins are a cheat, but even without that going for it, the dangers of space are portrayed more gruesomely than I anticipated as "Ad Astra" demonstrates many examples of how dangerous space travel can be. More so than other recent space travel flicks like "Gravity" or "First Man."From an acting standpoint, "Ad Astra" is essentially the Brad Pitt show, which was confusing at first because the trailers showed more of actors Donald Sutherland and Liv Tyler than the final film actually possesses. Tommy Lee Jones, despite his character being crucial to the plot, has the briefest of screen time and most of his performance is through archived videos. There's little to say about these supporting actors when they're in the film for this short amount of time. As for Brad Pitt, he is perfect as Roy McBride. At no point did I think that he was holding back in his performance. He was clearly into the role as his line delivery is fraught with passion and heartache. He conveyed genuine introspection that was needed for the role and I sympathized with Roy and his tragic and complicated relationship with his father.
The dialogue given to Brad Pitt is thoughtful, but many lines tended to be too much for the character. As I mentioned earlier, Pitt's character narrates his journey across the stars and the problem is that Roy's inner feelings are explained to us, rather than shown. Now, narration can help convey something that would be too complex for one actor to show through expressions or body language. However, much of what is explained could've easily been shown through Pitt simply acting. Further perplexing is that Pitt does show us what his character is thinking or feeling, yet we still get the narration over these moments that explain it to us. I'm not quite certain as to why this is. Perhaps the film didn't want any confusion about the character's situation, so officially detailing his thoughts is an attempt to clarify. Who knows? Maybe this choice worked for you, but for me, I would've appreciated a little restraint.
Max Richter's score for the film surprised me. Not because anything stood out to me, but because nothing did. His work is often underplayed throughout the runtime. There are few moments where the film allows the score to shine, but even then, it's nothing too amazing and as someone who particularly adores his "On the Nature of Daylight" track, I expected more from the composer.
Because of its pacing and narration issues, "Ad Astra" may not be on the level of recent science-fiction films "Interstellar," "Arrival," or "The Martian," but it should certainly be remembered come Oscar season for Brad Pitt's performance, the screenplay, and visual presentation.
Rating ★★★
Conclusion
Despite its issues, "Ad Astra" is worth seeing in theaters. The film is such an immersive experience that I suggest seeking it out in one of the premium formats, such as IMAX et al. If you have young children, this film is not for them. Not only might the content scare them, but furthermore, the plot may not gauge their interest. For older children, however, this is a great choice, particularly if they enjoy science-fiction films and/or films about space travel.
This has been my review of “Ad Astra." I hope you enjoyed it. Have you seen the film? If you have, share your thoughts in the comments below. Should you feel inclined, feel free to recommend a film for me to review next. Thank you for reading, I'm Dallin, your resident film fanatic, and I'll return soon with another review.
Comments
Post a Comment