Brad Pitt takes an introspective, existential journey through space that delivers visually, but leaves the viewer wanting more of something
-Doug, The Dirty Penguin Presents
Set in the near future, Ad Astra is a character study of the “perfect” astronaut, Pitt’s Roy McBride. He undertakes a mission to find his father (Tommy Lee Jones), who’s space station is threatening the world. As an astronaut who has sacrificed a wife and essentially all emotions much like his father before him, Pitt is sent to Mars via the Moon to send a message to his father to find out what is going on. Jones’ space station set out for the orbit of Neptune 30 years prior to search for extraterrestrial life. Now this space station is sending anti-matter waves or something that is causing deadly power surges that could cause a global catastrophe.
This film knows what it is and what it isn’t. This isn’t the space opera of Star Wars or the space epic of Interstellar. This is a movie about the isolation and sacrifice of space travel. Pitt narrates his thoughts throughout the movie as he travels. While visiting a commercialized moon with an Applebee’s or fighting moon pirates, he ponders the meaning of his existence and his feelings toward his father who left while he was a preteen.
This film isn’t for everyone. While this movie is slow and thoughtful, it is engaging. However, it won’t surprising if someone thinks it drags on with little action. It seems to be missing something and it is difficult to put your finger on it. This is not a perfect movie, but it is well made. This will most likely become a cult classic due to its wonderful cinematography and interesting world that has been built, but will have plenty of people who dislike it.
6/10 Igloos
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