Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones star in this 2019 science fiction drama. Pitt plays Roy McBride, a commander in US Space Command. Early on in the film (and this is not a spoiler) McBride finds out his father, who was presumed dead after a failed space expedition,is in fact still alive. The shuttle which McBride Senior is commander of is somehow causing these ‘surges‘ which could eventually have grave consequences for the universe . Roy is tasked with retrieving his father and destroying the ship.
It’s rare that I finish watching a film and can’t decide whether I like it if not. Ad Astra was one of those rarities. I felt sort of empty and quite frankly a little frustrated when the credits started to role. It wasn’t that the story was particularly complicated. In fact,this film wasn’t really about a linear story, rather, it was about the relationship between a father and son. Director James Gray aimed for poignancy rather than drama. However,it did not quite pack that emotional punch that I expected. Perhaps though, this film was always meant to be subtle. Ad Astra is set in the near future and while it contains some visually impressive a scenes and some pretty gory action sequences, it’s insight into the father and son relationship was far more prominent,
While I failed to fall In love with this film as a whole, Pitts performance deserves credit. It is a perfect example of an understated performance. There was few melodramatic elements to the performance. It was almost out of place with the science fiction genre. Pitt has played numerous emotionally charged characters in the past but his portrayal of major Roy Mcbride was more subtle. This is not easy. You can see Mcbrides struggle to contain and stamp out personal emotions and this is largely due to Pitts performance.In some ways, the emotionally constipated characters are harder to play but Brad Pitt passes this test with flying colours . A more inexperienced actor could have very well struggled.
Ad Astra is not a terrible film. Far from it. In fact, I think it is probably a very good film. Perhaps it would benefit from a second watch and a more critical study.However, it did not have that immediate effect on me that I had almost expected. While we should never be too reliant on the dramatic and spectacular, it felt like Ad Astra was afraid to go big with emotion and theatre. Despite the sublime cinematography, It was just too placid and hollow to be a truly immersive or enjoyable experience.
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