Ad Astra

Ad Astra is a fantastic, cerebral film that uses spare parts from other films in its attempt to reach the stars. Even with the amazing cinematography and special effects, Brad Pitt is the real heart and soul of this film, yet what should be a groundbreaking sci fi epic is restrained by monotone voiceover and a subconscious sense that we have seen this all before.

What a “space odyssey” requires in order to be remembered is the sense of wonder. The destination and the means to get there do not matter, what matters is the slim possibility of discovering what lies beyond that destination. The filmmaking of Ad Astra tries to recreate that sense by recreating elements from other sci fi films. After I left the theater I instantly could name the three films that either inspired this film or sank it before it could set sail: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, and Bladerunner 2049. If this film came out 20 years ago, the world would not be the same; there would be fans worldwide, adoring the craft and effort put into each detail or looking up to Brad Pitt’s character as some cinematic form of a legendary hero… but this is not 1999. The star power of Brad Pitt did not draw any crowds or raise any eyebrows, even after his outstanding performance in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. The classical score filling the vastness of space and flowing over the shots of space rockets is as impressive as it was in 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film far more technically impressive—considering it came out in 1968. The effects, though beautiful, are directly inspired by Roger Deakins’ masterwork in Bladerunner 2049, and the overall spectacle paralleling a relationship between father and child is the identical spine of Interstellar’s story. So after the feats of other films are stripped away, what is left of Ad Astra?

The boldness of facing the reality that nothing will change after space travel.

The world of Ad Astra is only given in subtle hints along the journey, but it definitely is not a cheerful luxury with flying cars and bountiful possibilities. Life hangs so close to the edge, that an uneven heartbeat can lock a person into solitary confinement. Astronauts and soldiers die in this world without memorials or time to reflect, while lunatics are regarded as heroes. Ad Astra as a space-film actually creates a carelessness to the event of space travel. A rocket flight to the moon is as eventful as a plane flight to Texas. Gone are the days of news broadcasts for the next launch, because in this world it is the day to day work schedule. Instead of glorifying rockets and galaxies, this film creates elements from other genres on the surface of these planets, heightening the threat of danger to an unprecedented scale. A car chase is boring—but put it on the moon and it is the tensest edge-of-your-seat action set piece of the year. These incredible scenes of zero-gravity knife fights and moon rover pirates gives a peculiar contrast to the previous point: why copy off so many other films if there is so much original content present? All I can assume is that either the filmmakers wanted to pay homage to the films it is competing against, or the studios wanted to pander to that specific audience by showing them something familiar. Either way, it heavily detracts from the fun.

With a journey spanning across the entire solar system, I expected this film to stretch past 3 hours, but it manages to display every event within 2 hours. I was blown away by the pacing and efficiency of this film. Seeing the runtime, I was about to leave the theater after a certain scene, when I realized that was the midpoint of the story. It condenses a possibly 4 hour plot in half the time, and it does so perfectly. Much of the world and character development is left to the background, hinting at the span of this world and offering a direct storyline to drive the audience forward. Now, this is a possible reason for the voiceover, but I still believe Brad Pitt’s face exposed that information just as effectively. The voiceover narration shows the hidden side of the character, but it’s deliberate, monotone delivery prevented me from being invested into the first half. I see Brad Pitt’s face, and I get the same information, so why have it in there in the first place? Thankfully, the pacing of the film brings bigger and bigger stakes that push the voiceover out of the plot with plenty of story left to enjoy.

Brad Pitt’s performance will sadly not be remembered due to the popularity of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, and the lack thereof in this film. I cannot describe how refined he displays his character, Roy McBride. From what I have heard about Neil Armstrong and the mental strength of the Apollo astronauts, Brad Pitt revives that mentality in Roy to its purest form. This character has taught himself to remain calm under the most daring circumstances in his life, compartmentalizing his emotions and casting them aside into his subconscious. The best part of this film is this element of Roy, and it becomes the central conflict. Roy’s world of structure and regulations has confined him within a cement prison that he does not discover until halfway through the film. It is only when he begins to open up to his father does he realize the shortcomings of the society built around the success of his father’s legacy. He fears becoming like his father, and he sees him everywhere he goes. All of this build up in the enigma that is H. Clifford McBride takes hold of the audience by the arm and yanks them into screen. The desire to understand what is going on electrifies each scene, because we only know what Roy knows, and he begins to understand how little that is. Outside of Roy’s development, though, the father never really becomes either side of the story. Is he a monster, or is he a broken man? Did he fail, or did he give the world what it needed? The enigma evolves into something more grey, which demands further reading with rewatching the film. A demand I hope some people will follow.

Overall, I believe this is a beautiful film that tries so desperately to be something new and bold, that it resorts to resembling everything else for people to remember it. The only excuse I can reason for the overbearing voiceover is the studio’s fear that audiences will check out of the story or get confused on Roy’s motive. The commentary is only hinted at through tiny bits in order to refine the story within a manageable 2-hour runtime, and the similarities of the film’s craft to classic space-films was portrayed intentionally in the advertising to draw people in… and none of those strategies worked. Where this film truly shines is in Brad Pitt’s psychological performance and the moments the film acts outside of the “space odyssey” genre.

Story Rating: 5/10

Character Rating: 8/10