Ad Astra
Rating: 4/5
Duration: 1 hour 62 minutes
Director: James Gray and Dan Bradley
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Mystery, Drama, Thriller
Release Date: 20.09.2019
Star Cast: Brad Pitt, Anne McDaniels, Daniel Sauli, Alyson Reed, Donald Sutherland, Elisa Perry, Greg Bryk, Halszka Kuza, Jamie Kennedy, John Finn, John Ortiz, Kimberly Elsie, Kimmy Shields, LisaGay Hamilton, Liv Tyler, Loren Dean, Vivian Fleming-Alvarez, Tommy Lee Jones, Sean Blakemore, Ruth Negga, Ravi Kapoor, Nicholas Walker
Plot: Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt), an astronaut, goes on a journey to the exterior edges of our vast solar system in search of his lost father, Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), an acclaimed astronaut commander. This mission leads to the unravelling of a dark mystery, which poses to be a threat to the planet's survival.
Review: Ad Astra, the new space drama of film director James Gray, is the combination of two parallel stories. One is obviously the bewildering science fiction, and the other is an apathetic father-son film, which the writers did not even think of taking beyond the commonest clichés. That being said, although the latter story appears to be attempting to pull off the former, yet it does not hamper the space drama entirely. This implies that the most awaited Ad Astra brings in a substance-filled sci-fi that we haven’t really enjoyed in years.
It would not be wrong to say that the movie Ad Astra is the perfect blend of the best elements of the popular space dramas of the last ten years, such as First Man, The Martian, Gravity, Interstellar, Solaris, Contact, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Gray has brilliantly mixed those critical references while uniquely enhancing the visual language of his film. Ad Astra continuously manifests new inventive ideas and jaw-dropping imagery throughout the film. All of these put together are just enjoyably uncanny.
Coming to the performances of the film’s cast; Brad Pitt is totally commendable in his character, which seems like the perfect amalgam of the characters of James Bond and Joe Cool. Dressed up as an astronaut, Pitt also looks really appealing. The film has good supporting actors, such as Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland, but sadly, it does not make use of their talents. The film is mostly a solo performance of Brad Pitt. So, if you are a huge fan of Pitt, you will definitely enjoy near about a couple of hours watching the actor deliver his best.
Overall, if you are someone who tries to find logic in everything, then there are chances that you might end up questioning the science of the movie. Moreover, the end might not be completely satisfying for all the viewers. However, Ad Astra is thought-provoking and beautiful in its own way. So, of course, if sci-fi is your kind of genre, you can go ahead and watch Brad Pitt’s new film on the big screen.
