Ad Astra Movie Review

Ad Astra (2019)

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Written by: James Gray, Ethan Gross
Directed by: James Gray
Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland, Live Tyler
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
Astronaut Roy McBride undertakes a mission across the solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, thirty years later, threatens the universe.

Verdict
Great movie. The visuals are brilliant with a mix of intense action sequences and quiet contemplative scenes. The directing is outstanding and the writing is really good, aside from the heavy voice over in the beginning. That's my only complaint. This is a stellar movie. I wasn't sure the movie could deliver a satisfactory ending after such a great build up, but it completely does.
Watch it.

Review
I've been waiting on this film. It was originally scheduled to be released early this year and had been pushed back twice. I was concerned it was a quality issue. It's not. I really liked this movie and the more I think about it the more I like it.

Impressive visuals. It starts with Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) on the international satellite. A satellite that rises from Earth past the atmosphere. It's some subtle world building and I wish the movie revealed more about the world of which we only see glimpses.
The first few minutes are intense and they show just how calm Roy is in dire situations. That's important as his entire journey is precarious. Through the movie Roy has to check in with a psych evaluation to confirm he is mission ready. It's a recurring check-in that gives insight into the character.
This opening also showcases the stunning visuals the movie showcases throughout. Space is beautiful and this movie takes advantage. The first scene reminded me a bit of the opening in First Man, both are intense and grab you.

The beginning has some nice film making, and I was disappointed when the movie began to rely a bit too heavily on voice over. Roy voices thoughts that should be and sometimes are clear on screen. Thankfully that subsides in the second half. There are scenes that imply a lot without the voice over so that makes it's inclusion all the more strange. One of my favorite scenes is when Roy takes control of a space ship from a captain that's paralyzed with fear. Upon landing Roy asks, "You know why I did that, right?" That's it. Nothing else needs to be said. The movie got that right, but got it wrong more than a few times with adding voice over.

Roy's an astronaut because his dad was an astronaut, but his dad disappeared sixteen years ago. Now Roy is tapped for a top secret mission. The government thinks his dad Clifford may be alive.

 

This begins Roy's journey to assist in trying to make contact. He first travels to the colonized moon. We only get a glimpse, but it looks like a strip mall. Roy comments through voice over that Earth inhabitants tried to escape their problems on Earth only to build them all over again on the moon.
On the moon we get a space shoot out with space pirates. It's a really cool scene though it made me wonder if this movie would be more action or contemplative. The focus is on the character, and Pitt has some really nice moments to act, close ups on his face that provide him time to emote. The directing is notable. The movie uses silence to great effect, and even then the soundtrack intruded a few times. Space is beautiful and quiet. The visuals don't need a punch up with sound. Then again the sound visuals worked together nicely in the opening.

 

As Roy approaches the edges of the known solar system he contemplates the choices he made in life and his role in the solar system. He wants to face his father, to either confront or leave the memory in the past. Throughout the movie Roy is Clifford's son. Despite Roy's achievements, his accomplishment is the relation to Clifford. He's lived in his father's shadow his entire life. This is his chance to put it to rest one way or the other.

This movie built up for quite an ending and I feared I would be disappointed. How could it live up to expectations? Thankfully the ending is really good. At one point I thought it could and should end earlier than it did. It seemed like a perfect moment where Roy had accomplished his goals and had a decision to make. It would be an ending that leaves you wondering just a bit, instead the movie keeps going.
At one point I wondered if this was going to go the dream, space crazy, or already dead route with the ending. It doesn't, thankfully. There were just a couple scenes that reminded me of Solaris, making me think it was a possibility.

 

The ending we get sets up a contrast to earlier where Roy talks about his priorities. Roy feared he was too much like his father, and his journey reordered his priorities. Roy went as deep into space as anyone ever has. The ending we get is a nice book end. This movie has parts of other sci-fi movies and while it's some of those, it's also none of those.