Brad Pitt goes to space in search of his dad in James Gray's reflective and thoughtful Ad Astra. The title, which translates from Latin as "to the stars", is as complex as this rather narratively minimalistic film gets - but the depth and complexity in which it explores themes of emotional suppression, the human condition and paternal connection is what helps this ambitious film achieve lift-off.
In the near future, the earth suffers mysterious power surges that scientists track down to the "Lima project" base near Neptune. Astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) is informed that his presumed-dead father may be behind the deadly surges and is sent into space to make contact with him, confronting years of emotional suppression in the quest to find out what happened on the base years ago that left him orphaned by his father. The latest in a string to 'adult-orientated sci-fi' flicks to hit the early-Autumn cinema schedule, Ad Astra is one of the very few big-budget vehicles still being made and is wholly deserving of the big screen experience.
More so than perhaps any other film in recent memory, your success with Ad Astra depends on how profoundly you connect with its main set of themes. Given the dichotomy between its narrative simplicity and emotional complexity, if the film doesn't hit you emotionally, there's little to fall back on in terms of storytelling and it could be accused to being "boring". That, to me, completely fails to recognise just how deftly Gray and Ethan Gross's screenplay paints this ponderous character study: male emotion is so rarely presented onscreen with this sensitivity and intimacy, illuminating (and rather groundbreaking) in the way it tackles these lofty themes. Whether the narration needed to be used as frequently, or as forcefully, as it is is another question, but it rarely detracts from the character focus and thematic drive.
Gray carries on his impressive work through to the direction, with the awe-inspiring visuals never losing their grandeur and scope despite it very much being window dressing for a tightly-wound character drama. The tight framing conveys the deepest emotions of a man who rarely expresses the simplest of them; the space imagery evoking the emptiness and loneliness of such a man leading the mission, all breathtakingly elevated by Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography. Purposefully lethargic, the pacing may test the patience of some viewers, and there are admittedly moments that lull particularly in the shakier opening half, but props to Gray for resisting the urge to chase the big action set pieces - we do receive a small handful of them, and they're generally well-executed in their own right, but all of them work best in furthering our understanding of McBride, with the character at the heart of everything this film does.
Brad Pitt delivers arguably the best, and certainly most subtle, work of his illustrious career to date. A fabulous tonic to his last screen outing, Pitt's internalised performance is a stunning achievement: he projects an emotionless fitting to the character while slowly peeling back the layers of his psyche, carefully revealing his innermost emotions with the smallest of movements, expressions and gestures. When people talk about the beauty of a nuanced performance, they will most likely point to Pitt's work here. It is the type of revelatory turn from an established actor that changes the way you picture them. He is sublime.
From Max Richter's gorgeous score to the combined brilliance of the sound mixing and design, Ad Astra also shines in its craft elements. The space soundscape crafted is utterly mesmeric, punctuated with stretches of silence that work in the most absorbing of ways, while the subtle use of Richter's score is as emotionally enriching as compositions like this can get. With strong special effects (the opening is particularly jaw-dropping) and impressive production design, every member of the various art departments are working in unison to create this technically outstanding feat.
Ad Astra is as contemplative, and arguably sombre, as these big-budget star vehicles get; while it won't be to everyone's taste, this narratively simple yet thematically layered feature will connect most profoundly with those who relate to its themes, offering a cathartic and moving piece of filmmaking with real soul. A character drama disguised as a space movie, Ad Astra has Brad Pitt's stellar lead performance and James Gray's fantastic direction to thank for ensuring that its slower pace and constant narration emotionally engages audiences willing to head to the stars - with the right outlook, it will almost certainly be worth the trip.
8/10
Summary: Ad Astra is a technically impressive and thoughtful character portrait disguised as a space movie, boasting extraordinary visuals and a career-best performance from Brad Pitt.
More so than perhaps any other film in recent memory, your success with Ad Astra depends on how profoundly you connect with its main set of themes. Given the dichotomy between its narrative simplicity and emotional complexity, if the film doesn't hit you emotionally, there's little to fall back on in terms of storytelling and it could be accused to being "boring". That, to me, completely fails to recognise just how deftly Gray and Ethan Gross's screenplay paints this ponderous character study: male emotion is so rarely presented onscreen with this sensitivity and intimacy, illuminating (and rather groundbreaking) in the way it tackles these lofty themes. Whether the narration needed to be used as frequently, or as forcefully, as it is is another question, but it rarely detracts from the character focus and thematic drive.
Gray carries on his impressive work through to the direction, with the awe-inspiring visuals never losing their grandeur and scope despite it very much being window dressing for a tightly-wound character drama. The tight framing conveys the deepest emotions of a man who rarely expresses the simplest of them; the space imagery evoking the emptiness and loneliness of such a man leading the mission, all breathtakingly elevated by Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography. Purposefully lethargic, the pacing may test the patience of some viewers, and there are admittedly moments that lull particularly in the shakier opening half, but props to Gray for resisting the urge to chase the big action set pieces - we do receive a small handful of them, and they're generally well-executed in their own right, but all of them work best in furthering our understanding of McBride, with the character at the heart of everything this film does.
Brad Pitt delivers arguably the best, and certainly most subtle, work of his illustrious career to date. A fabulous tonic to his last screen outing, Pitt's internalised performance is a stunning achievement: he projects an emotionless fitting to the character while slowly peeling back the layers of his psyche, carefully revealing his innermost emotions with the smallest of movements, expressions and gestures. When people talk about the beauty of a nuanced performance, they will most likely point to Pitt's work here. It is the type of revelatory turn from an established actor that changes the way you picture them. He is sublime.
From Max Richter's gorgeous score to the combined brilliance of the sound mixing and design, Ad Astra also shines in its craft elements. The space soundscape crafted is utterly mesmeric, punctuated with stretches of silence that work in the most absorbing of ways, while the subtle use of Richter's score is as emotionally enriching as compositions like this can get. With strong special effects (the opening is particularly jaw-dropping) and impressive production design, every member of the various art departments are working in unison to create this technically outstanding feat.
Ad Astra is as contemplative, and arguably sombre, as these big-budget star vehicles get; while it won't be to everyone's taste, this narratively simple yet thematically layered feature will connect most profoundly with those who relate to its themes, offering a cathartic and moving piece of filmmaking with real soul. A character drama disguised as a space movie, Ad Astra has Brad Pitt's stellar lead performance and James Gray's fantastic direction to thank for ensuring that its slower pace and constant narration emotionally engages audiences willing to head to the stars - with the right outlook, it will almost certainly be worth the trip.
8/10
Summary: Ad Astra is a technically impressive and thoughtful character portrait disguised as a space movie, boasting extraordinary visuals and a career-best performance from Brad Pitt.