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Ad Astra

A review by Brooks Rich

Ad Astra was a film that did not meet my expectations, but not in a bad way. James Gray is a filmmaker who paces his films very specifically. The Lost City of Z was a masterpiece, but it was not for the casual movie fan. That film moved at a snail's pace at times. I was expecting the same from Ad Astra. I like James Gray as a filmmaker a lot, and I didn't think this would be a rock 'em sock’em science fiction adventure epic. Even without that sci-fi adventure feel, it still surprised with some of its set pieces and shocking moments of violence. This is a fantastic film and one of the best of the year. 

Brad Pitt plays Roy McBride, a major in the US Space Command in the near future. McBride is the son of a legendary commander named Clifford McBride, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who had disappeared years before during something called the Lima Project, which was searching for intelligent life at the edge of our Solar System. With the Earth threatened by electrical surges from space, Roy sets off for Mars in an attempt to communicate with his possibly still alive father and hopefully figure out what's causing the surges.

There's a lot more going on in this film than what I just said. Gray brilliantly builds a world around us without being blatant. There are no long exposition scenes explaining the geopolitical state of this near future. We just get bits and pieces of information as the story progresses and we figure it out. That is a lost art in fiction....being able to properly explain a science fiction or fantasy world without giant exposition dumps. Not enough people are giving Ad Astra credit for this. 

Brad Pitt is the star of this film. He's in almost every scene and serves as the narrator as well. This is one of his best performances in years and I expect some amount of recognition come award season. He plays Roy with heart but he doesn't overdo it, allowing the character to be internal at times. It's a subtle, brilliant performance and shows that Pitt is one of our best actors.

This is my favorite film of the year. It just hit me in the right way and I love brilliant science fiction that doesn't over explain itself. Track this one down immediately if you are a science fiction fan. It's available to rent on most platforms. 

Rating: 5/5


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