One of the most popular film genres is that of the sci-fi. It's been around almost as long as films have been--think "Buck Rogers". And with this genre, a certain amount of films with a cerebral side to them have surfaced: "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Inception", "Intersteller" "The Tree of Life" all come to mind. Even though "Ad Astra" isn't as cerebral as some of these listed, it still is one that makes one think.
In the not too distant future, astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of an unforgiving solar system, a mere 7.5 billion miles away, to uncover the truth of his missing father, H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) and his doomed expedition called the Lima Project that now, for 30 years, Roy must unravel the mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
Others to round out the cast are Ruth Negga as Helen Lantos, Donald Sutherland as Thomas Pruitt, Kimberly Elise as Lorraine Deavers, John Ortiz as Lt. Gen. Rivas, John Finn as Brig. Gen. Stroud, LisaGay Hamilton as Adj, Gen. Vogel, Liv Tyler as Eve, Loren Dean as Donald Stanford, Donnie Heshawarz as Capt. Lawrence Tanner and Sean Blakemore as Willie Levant.
This was painstakingly well delineated by director James Gray ("Little Odessa" '94, "The Yards" 2000, "We Own the Night" '07, "Two Lovers" '08, "The Immigrant" '13, "The Lost City of Z" '16) plus TV and a short. I realize that Pitt, given the right roll, can excel in a performance extremely well, but Gray's ability to extract the nuances of the emotion that Pitt was emanating was subtle and repressed. You could tell that, in most scenes, Pitt's character, Roy was truly upset, but he wasn't able to display those emotions for whatever reason. This is fine acting, however it is also talented directing. If this filmmaker is one that interests you, his "I Am Pilgrim" is in pre-production. It was also written well by Gray (all the films listed above and "Blood Ties" '13) plus TV and Ethan Gross ("Klepto" '03) plus TV and a short. Clearly, Gray holds the lion's share of the writing here, but I'm sure the input given by Gross was pivotal as it was necessary. As I stated above, this was a bit cerebral in that one had to pay attention as it unfolded. It, in a sense, gives you the feeling of questioning what's out there and what is our place in this universe. Couple that with all the scientific possibilities in the workings of space travel and what it takes to travel in deep space, and it can become mind-boggling. Really, other than a couple of places that were a bit slow--mostly because those particular scenes were so quiet, this script was extremely fluid and was concise. Pitt absolutely shined here, so much so, that he could be looking at a nod come Oscar time, if he doesn't get a nod for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" which he did excel well at. The visual effects, predominantly designed by MPC (Moving Picture Company), Weta Digital and Mr. X were unbelievably seamless and enhanced the story that much more.
To quote Pitt when interviewed, that when you see a superhero film where they save the day, well this is the opposite of that. In other words, this is not your typical sci-fi flick. It has a compelling story that will stir a discussion when leaving the multiplex, and the acting, especially by Brad Pitt is amazing--this is not his typical fare. And hey, you can see this in a nifty IMAX or 4DX format as well.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 123mins.
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