Ad Astra Review

September 19, 2019 at 7:25pm
By Jason Stettner

It’s really exciting to see movies like this, ones that dare to look ahead while stilling presenting a personally grounded experience. Ad Astra is about the future of space, the exploration we’ll be aiming to have in the coming centuries. It’s close, yet could still be far away and that all depends on where technology goes. That aside, this is still something that focuses on what matters. That being a look at human mentality, family and the effects these two have together while set against the backdrop of solar system journey.

Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is a dedicated astronaut, and everything is solid until dangerous events start taking place. There have been surges coming from Neptune, a place where his father Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones) went on a doomed deep space mission. Roy is brought in, and begins to go on a journey of discovery to find out what exactly did happen thirty years ago. This might sound rather intensely straight forward, but it’s a long journey to get to that point.

There’s a good sense of mystery as things are discovered, and the mentality of his character is tested along the way. There are some rather action packed segments in this which will surprise you, as they’re striking despite being set against the deafening silence of space. There are many neat locations along this journey, and it’s definitely an enticing experience to go along on.

This is a beautifully shot and peaceful film to take in. It feels impactful as you get these vast backdrops, and are shown the dangers of space the entire way through. There are moments of action, some of sorrow and it’s really a deep look at a broken relationship. It’s hard to really dive into some of the more intense aspects of this film, without spoiling anything. It’s best to see this story unravel as you go along with the journey.

That aside, it’s really just amazing to get a glimpse into what feels like a rather realistic future for the humanity. I think that’s what makes this more impactful, and therefore more relatable is that it isn’t exactly out of the realms of a future possibility. The performances are excellent in this with Brad Pitt really delivering, and his key motivator was great to see in action. I do worry slightly that the pacing may not be for everyone, as it does take its time. It may also not be a insane as people are looking for when it all wraps up.

The Conclusion

Ad Astra is a remarkable look into the future of space travel, while feeling grounded and pushing the concept of what could have been. It truly is hard to dive into this film too far, as it should be experienced without any sort of spoilers. I’ve tried to really keep things minimal as it’s exciting to see the film unfold, and they’re very creative with the challenges that come up.

Nothing that was too unrealistic for any of the involved humans to handle, and it feels like it’s a future that’s not too far away. It’s exciting to take a look at this future, and it really would be a wondrous thing to see. A time where it’s more natural to have others out there, and a furthered desire to find about the unknown in the galaxy.

Ad Astra Review at Theater with Standard Viewing
Screening Provided by Allied

Rating Overall: 8.0