Ad Astra

Ad Astra is an outer space adventure film for audiences who like to soak up the atmosphere and the technical details, rather than be gripped by the story that's being told.  Yes, there is the rare action scene, and the special effects used throughout are top notch.  But, I don't think that's what co-writer and director James Grey is going for.  He wants this to be a meticulous, probing film about father issues and exploring the vast reaches of the stars.

For the most part, he has succeeded.  It's the kind of movie where you admire the many details, the effort that went into creating the visuals, and the silent but engaging performance of Brad Pitt. (Who with Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood and now this, is shaping up to be one of more reliable and bankable risk-taking actors.) It's likely to have just as many detractors as it does supporters.  I can understand both views.  Yes, this is an expertly made film, and one that can easily capture the imagination.  But, it also has some moments that come across as inert, and the ending is a let-down.  Still, I was engaged, and drawn in by the visuals of the film.  This is not an instant gratification film.  It's one that you kind of have to watch by yourself in a quiet room, and let it wash over you.

Set in the near future, Pitt plays Roy McBride, an astronaut who is famed not only for his number of missions, but also because of how cool he remains under pressure. (During missions, we learn, his heart rate never exceeds beyond 80 beats per minute.) We get to see this first-hand in the opening scene, where Roy is working on an antenna attached to a space station high above Earth when a power surge hits, killing some of the crew, and it sends McBride down to the ground far below, where he lands safely via a parachute.  There have been a large number of power surges coming from somewhere in space, already claiming thousands of lives.

After he recovers, Roy is called into a classified meeting, where he is told it's believed that the surges are coming from Neptune, and that they are possibly being caused by his father, Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), who has been presumed dead for decades now after Earth lost contact with him during a mission to explore the far reaches to space in the hope of reaching out to extraterrestrial life.  Clifford was the Captain of that mission, and the superiors of the space program have reason to believe that he is still alive, and is performing experiments that are causing the surges.  Roy's mission is to make his way to Neptune, and make contact with his father.

There's a reason why Roy feels little to no pressure during risky space missions  He's more or less dead inside.  The news that his father may still be alive after all this time inspires memories of a painful past, both revolving around the relationship that he shared with him, as well as evidence of an unhappy marriage to a wife that he would not let get close to him.  We get the sense that Roy has gone into space in order to escape the pain he has felt on Earth most of his life, only to now be sent on a mission that brings everything flooding back into his head.  There's a reason why most of the character's dialogue is internal.  He is a total introvert, and does not know how to feel much of anything.  He is an expert at his job, but we get feel like human contact has largely driven him to focus solely on it, and not on the people around him.

Ad Astra is largely an internal story, but it provides some unique and unforgettable visuals.  At one point, we get to see a moon that has been colonized, turned into somewhat of a tourist hub, and is even experiencing some border disputes.  There is a thrilling dune buggy chase with some pirates (the closest thing to a full-scale action scene that we get here), and then the story takes us to Mars, where Roy tries to communicate with his father.  However, he feels that he is not being told the truth.  Where the story goes from there, I will not say.  All I will reveal is that despite this being a visually rich film where almost every scene is a special effect shot, this is largely about Roy's internal struggles with his father and himself.  There are vast worlds on display here, but Grey is ultimately making a very intimate movie.

All of this certainly makes it an ambitious film, but it doesn't always stick the landings that it wants.  Many of the characters that Roy encounters on his adventure seem to be underused, or not given enough screen time to make much of an impression. (This especially includes Donald Sutherland as a veteran space explorer who used to work with Roy's father.) There are also some slow patches that don't work as well as they should.  Regardless, the pace of the film never feels like it stems from a lack of energy.  It is an artistic choice on the part of the filmmakers, and to me at least, it felt like they still knew how to tell a compelling story while keeping things low key.  Unlike last weekend's The Goldfinch, this is a movie that was able to hold my attention, while never actually being in any sort of hurry.

Through it all, it is Brad Pitt that carries the film, which is crucial, since he is in about 98% of the film.  He is silent, powerful, and constantly absorbing.  We can sense his conflicted feelings about his mission and his past in about every expression and movement he makes here.  His performance is what sells Ad Astra, and it's one that is complex because he says so little, and basically lets us experience what he is thinking and feeling.  Even if the movie falters a little from time to time, Pitt is constantly steady, and demanding our attention.

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