Ad Astra (2019) ****

 

Source: Imdb

This sifi drama about a man on a mysterious mission to find his father was seriously better than I expected, even though it was a bit shallow and all-over-the-place. In essence, it seemed to be a metaphysical story at its core, but covered in layers of random concepts. There was the science angle, the action angle, an element of horror etc.... basically, another one of those movies that can’t seem to decide on a genre and how to trim down a script to something polished and truly meaningful. Clearly a very ambitious beginner's piece, though a better attempt than most I've recently seen. 

But underneath all that, the film appeared to be mostly about interpersonal relationships, dealing with trauma, misunderstandings and rejection, as well as finding your purpose in life (so again, a bit unfocused; a bit of everything). It did remind me of 2001: Space Odyssee, though far more engaging.

Brad Pitt gave an excellent performance, offering surprising insights into the character he portrayed and uncovering his psyche bit by bit – the vulnerable and damaged core of him. This led to a few truly touching scenes, startling in their unexpectedness, and made for an interesting journey through discovering what his motives were all about.

The visuals seemed to be on a budget, but I guess I’m spoiled after watching “Apollo 13” with its unrivalled Zero-G shots. Anyway, they did not try very hard in this movie to show the weightlessness of space, or the reduced gravity of different celestial bodies. Overall, there seemed to be much less CGI in this than in the average space movie, as they were mostly doing close-ups of the actor(s) and shots of minimal sets. The colour pallet and lighting helped with keeping the effort minimal as well. Everything was beautifully framed by a sweeping and atmospheric score by Max Richter. They could have picked a better editor, though. I'm sure Brad Pitt didn't need that much help.

Overall, an interesting movie, though not nearly as deep as it may seem at first glance. Still, I’m feeling generous and giving 4/5 as I feel this may develop significantly on the re-watch.

Ad Astra on Imdb