My brother Daniel has often sent me movies to watch with a small caveat before watching: It’s a slow burn but the payoff is worth it. I can’t say that the payoff is always worth it with some films labeled as “slow burn” can actually just be a fancy way to say *BORING!* but in the case of AD ASTRA, the end really did justify the pace.
AD ASTRA stars Brad Pitt as Roy McBride, a Major in US Space Command, who is tasked with stopping a series of dangerous antimatter surges that are originating from the Lima Project near Neptune as the surges are endangering Earth’s inhabitants. The Lima Project, which was begun by Roy’s father Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), was considered a lost project and the crew long dead for many years and the news that his father might be alive and perhaps not what he thought he was, puts Roy on edge as he embarks on the dangerous mission to save the Earth all the while struggling with the resurfacing insecurities, angers and fears that he had buried and hoped would disappear.
When I watched the trailers for AD ASTRA, I was expecting a different kind of film than what my husband and I saw. I didn’t expect a psychological thriller which is kind of what AD ASTRA is. The director uses Roy’s voice over, or rather the string of thoughts running through his head, to present the struggle of the protagonist in a very personal fashion. At first, I was kind of angry with Space Command for allowing a man who was obviously struggling with depression and a loss of purpose to continue in his work. He was not stable, no matter what the computerized shrink said. I was irritated at his cynicism about Space Command and the purpose of Space Exploration. I felt sympathy for him, as I knew he was struggling, but I was really hoping that I hadn’t paid to watch a movie that was purely about an astronaut with daddy issues.
But as I mentioned before, Ad Astra is a slow burn film and the pay off in the end was painful but satisfying. My husband and I were talking about the film afterwards and we both agreed that as the film came to a close, we really wanted Roy to come to a resolution, to get his closure so he could move on and actually be happy. The journey into space, finding his father and destroying the Lima Project, almost entirely on his own, forced Roy to finally face what he had wished to forget and how the things he buried permanently affected how he related to other people, especially those who wished to love him and he them.
Now some of you may look at that and think that this is a dumb premise for a film set in outer space (because space battles and explosions!) but it’s amazing to note how the void of space is actually the perfect place to explore the human mind. There are literally no distractions to get in the way of the personal narrative and the vastness of the solitary universe outside our own sphere should force you to turn inward and see what is really to be found there.
Ad Astra is visually intriguing and the world built for Space Command actually feels real, like if Space Command were a thing this is what it would look and feel like. No crazy aliens, no bizarre alien worlds. Just man kind reaching out and building a greater, bigger life across the stars. The production and feel of the film reminded me of Interstellar, both films being a very believable look at space exploration in years to come.
Brad Pitt was phenomenal in this film. I’ve always liked him and find his on-screen persona to be one that I enjoy but this film really shows the range of his acting skills. He seemed nearly robotic in the beginning of the film but as it progressed and those emotional walls he put up were pulled down my circumstance, he becomes a different man, more real and present in the here and now. He’s still very reserved, calm and collected but the countenance change in him throughout the film was impressive and Brad Pitt really was the perfect choice for the role.
Also, Brad Pitt is freaking handsome. I swear he ages like a fine wine and good cheese.
Daniel is usually the one reviews movies that sting you in your emotions and his perspective and way of viewing films like these is not one you read very often. I hope he can watch this film soon and give you his two cents as it will be a more detailed analysis than what I have here. But until then, I hope you take the time to go see AD ASTRA. Even though I recognize that this film won’t be an enjoyable or engaging sit for everyone, I loved it and I recommend you go see it if you can.
