Ad Astra

You might say that I'm a substantial fan of "space" films and dealing with big questions about life and the great unknown. 

In recent years we've had some doozies of awesome films set in or about space, and grounded in reality (sorry Oblivion)  that tackle a variety of scale and themes. Gravity , The Martian, and Arrival come immediately to mind as ones that have challenged my thinking and stuck with me throughout the years. Arrival in particular. Even 2001, something I Retro Reviewed a few years back, sticks with you even if you don't completely grasp its ending (guilty as charged on that one...)

Recently, I watched Interstellar for the first time in a year or more and it, once again, moved me profoundly. For me it's the gold standard in a film that makes you think so big about space and where we are in time and human history that it crushes me every time at the weight of our sheer insignificance. Not only is it a fantastic film with a lot of shockingly (or theoretically) accurate science - and a world class original score - it's well balanced between story telling, character development, science fiction, and [possible] reality. 

I found that the first 3/4ths of Ad Astra competed with Interstellar in many of those regards and was waiting for the ending that would have me leaving the theater, picking up the pieces of my own existence. With Ad Astra that moment never really comes - or at least it didn't for me - which is likely why I feel a bit let down by it. Even with an ending I'm not fully in support of, Ad Astra should be judged as the sum of its parts and not necessarily how it sticks the landing. 

And in that regard, it's a highly engaging and captivating space adventure. 

"Sandra Bullock! Is that you?"

The first thing you may notice over the course of the first 30 minutes in Ad Astra is that it subtly starts to build together a future world that is, in ways, shockingly similar to our own despite being ~50 years in the future. People still use cars (dammit!), people generally seem more religious, and Applebees still exists. But we've also built a space antenna (the science for this is actually possible), commercial moon travel exists, and we've made it to mars with small bases set up. So where most of the world seems to be semi-advanced forward, Ad Astra tells us that space exploration technology will explode in the next decades. It feels more grounded than the action-heavy sequences would have you believe which I appreciated and it's a lot of the little details in James Gray's world that go to building something believable and continually convincing. You'll also notice in the first half hour that this film knows where its going, it is fairly streamlined, and it gets you from scene to scene with great talent and one of the year's best original scores. Between its world building and its behind-the-camera talent, it comes across as confident and driving toward something. Something big. 

Which is perhaps my biggest and only complaint with Ad Astra. To a certain extent it almost feels like two different films. One that builds this big scientific mystery out in deep space, and then an ending that's driven much more about character. It's certainly not a drastic disconnect, but I do think Ad Astra leads you to believe there will be some wild epiphany or space discovery. I'm treading on spoilery waters right now so I'll refrain from divulging a lot more but the best way I can explain my reservations with the ending is that it doesn't feel like the one the film was building toward. In this regard, perhaps that's just my personal preference and perhaps I shouldn't expect a Nolan-esque twist with every mystery/space film. But I'll let you form your own opinion on how it wraps things up. 

"This hog gets 4 miles to the gallon! It's got a hemi!"

"Boo!"

Brad Pitt is front and center for nearly every scene of the film and it's a wonderfully measured performance from him in what's been a very active year for him showcasing his talent. In this film about space exploration he plays a man who was abandoned by his hero father at a very young age. It's clear he's introverted and a lot goes on inside his character's brain at any given moment. Things to Roy McBride are black and white, grounded in science. Ad Astra ends up playing as a character study of this man and Pitt's central performance is understated and appropriate for how the character is [well] written.

Generally speaking, films about space, aliens, or the Great Beyond earn bonus points with me. They're often original, challenging, and just flat out cool. Ad Astra is many of those things and even better, it's a well orchestrated, directed, acted, and written film. Perhaps the ending will be just what others are looking for, but for me it's the only "issue" with an otherwise captivating film that unfolds like a great book. 

CONS

• The ending feels like a let down after significant build up. Part of that is me not managing my expectations but the film also seems like it's aiming for something grand
• Pacing is definitely driving for majority of the film and slower on the last 1/4th

PROS

• An original story that is captivating from the get go. Builds its mystery very well
• A future with a lot of neat details, but one that's also grounded in reality
• Mostly awesome special effects and some thrilling action beats
• Measured and appropriate (and great) core performance from Pitt
• One of the best original scores of the year and is ever present throughout the film

Rath's Review Score | 8/10