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Ad Astra

Ad Astra




Rated PG-13 - for some violence and bloody images, and for brief strong language.
Director: James Gray
Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland, Donnie Keshawarz
Running Time: 2 hours, 3 minutes
Theatrical Release Date: September 20, 2019

READER RATING:   


Plot Summary

Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a 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. (from IMDb)


Film Review

Sci-fi is such a broad genre that there is very much an “anything goes” approach when it comes to what viewers can expect from it. Ad Astra is the latest artful addition to the genre, placing acclaimed actor Brad Pitt in the driver's seat as the main propulsion for the story. The ads for the film hyped it up as an action-driven, mysterious science fiction must-see in the vein of Interstellar or Gravity, however, the end result kind of falls somewhere in between; it feels cut from the same cloth, but may lean more towards the look and feel of First Man than either of the others. Ad Astra is surprisingly more psychological and human than one might expect. It isn't psychological in the mind-bending, twisty kind of way, nor is it psychological in a deeply disturbing sense. Instead, it deals greatly with the effects a son's relationship with his father had on his life, as well as the effects of isolation -- both in space and in relationships.


The thing that probably stands out most about Ad Astra, above anything else, is its beautiful cinematography. Shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema (who is responsible for the beauty of Interstellar and Dunkirk), so much of the film is just lovely to look at, and Van Hoytema's use of color and lighting really help to set the mood for each sequence. And it’s their approach to how realistic the scenes generally look that adds a sincere tangibility to Ad Astra's view of our possible scientific future. For example, Pitt's character Roy needs to take a rocket to the moon, and boards what is matter-of-factly described as a "commercial flight." We then see him board a rocket, while wearing a spacesuit, and sitting and being tended to by a stewardess in the same way you would experience on any commercial airline flight today. It's handled with such uncanny realism that it feels surprisingly realistic despite being entirely fictional.


Pitt is given a lot of responsibility for carrying the film, and his character, Roy McBride, is more quiet and conflicted than charismatic and charming. Some of us will generally like and want to root for Roy simply because we empathize with him, while others will no doubt be able to relate to the emotional journey he embarks on over the course of the film. The film's examination of his own personal wrestle with isolation is a heavy theme, and it's a tough ride to take alongside him. But, ultimately, it's one that has a redeeming conclusion, as we see him grow through his experiences in the film.

The search for life out in the stars is his father’s quest that ultimately becomes his son’s — in a much different way — and it brings with it a very human story set within the science fictional world. There isn’t a whole lot of spiritual content in the film, although a character is seen watching a video of another character who is stationed out in space and claims they feel closer to God more than ever because of where they are. Sadly, that character isn’t painted in the brightest of lights, so it’s ambiguous whether they’re meant to represent the filmmakers' view of those who believe in God, or if it’s just a representation of this character’s more wholesome past before they eventually degraded, morally and psychologically, over time.


The content is mixed but probably most on par with something like Gravity. There’s almost no profanity in the film, but Roy watches a video with his girlfriend or wife giving him a message and she casually uses the “F” word once. There’s maybe 1, possibly 2, “S” words, and Roy prominently says “g*dd*mn” during a narration of his thoughts. But, for the most part, language is surprisingly infrequent. The only other serious content to consider is violence. This is a little spoilery, but when Roy joins an astronaut on an investigation of an abandoned station out in space, they find a rabid animal that attacks them. It mauls one man’s face, and we see the bloodied face (and gory hand) several times with their nose clearly chewed off. Later, we see a station with dead bodies floating around. At least one of them has a bag over their head, with blood splattered on the inside of the bag. In another scene, some characters are exposed to space in a shuttle and we watch them quickly freeze and suffocate to death. It’s a pretty intense and surprisingly harrowing scene that is meant to shock the audience and the main character.

Overall, Ad Astra is a unique and arty sci-fi drama that is certainly not for all audiences but is likely to connect most with those who appreciate deeper human stories as much as any action film. There is some action in this one, but it’s pretty scarce, so those hoping for a big blockbuster epic will be left wanting. I’m curious how Ad Astra will hold up with repeat viewings, but after just one thus far, it’s a strong sci-fi drama that’s worth checking out if you can appreciate a slower paced drama over the usual, more bombastic summer blockbuster.

- John DiBiase (reviewed: 9/28/19)

 

 

Parental Guide: Content Summary


. Sex/Nudity: None.
. Vulgarity/Language: 1 "F" word, "1 "S" word (possibly 2), 4 "g*dd*mn" (possibly?), 3 "h*ll," 1 "S.O.B."
. Alcohol/Drugs: None.
. Blood/Gore: In space, Roy and another astronaut go to investigate a distress signal from a space station. Inside, they split up and as Roy realizes the other man has fallen quiet, he finds the disturbing image of the man twitching as it's revealed he's being attacked by a vicious baboon. We see blood on the animal's face and the astronaut’s mask open with a gory look at the face inside. We also see that their hand looks like it was gnawed on, with fingers possibly missing and the whole hand looking kind of melted. Roy escapes with the body and we get a couple close looks at their very bloody face with gashes on it and their nose clearly bitten off. He then compresses the chamber the baboon is in and we see the sudden smear of blood on the door's window; a person is accidentally thrown into a hatch door on a shuttle and their face splatters blood on the glass, possibly instantly killing them. We then see a few other crew members suffocate and freeze to death immediately afterwards. All of it by accident; We see a space station with dead bodies floating around. At least one has a bag over their head which either caused them to suffocate or was used to hide their dead faces. It appears that maybe there is blood inside the bag. We also see some blood smeared on a door.
. Violence: An energy pulse creates an explosion at a space station just above earth. Several astronauts fall from the station (to their deaths), while we see Roy fall and eventually parachute to the ground; Some moon buggies drive across the moon's surface and are attacked by other buggies that are space pirates. A shootout happens, causing several astronauts to get blown up or thrown into space. We see one helmet with a large hole in it after a man is shot in the head (not gory). Some long distance fire strikes the pirates' moon buggies and we see their vehicles explode; In space, Roy and another astronaut go to investigate a distress signal from a space station. Inside, they split up and as Roy realizes the other man has fallen quiet, he finds the disturbing image of the man twitching as it's revealed he's being attacked by a vicious baboon. We see blood on the animal's face and the astronaut’s mask open with a gory look at the face inside. We also see that their hand looks like it was gnawed on, with fingers possibly missing and the whole hand looking kind of melted. Roy escapes with the body and we get a couple close looks at their very bloody face with gashes on it and their nose clearly bitten off. He then compresses the chamber the baboon is in and we see the sudden smear of blood on the door's window; a person is accidentally thrown into a hatch door on a shuttle and their face splatters blood on the glass, possibly instantly killing them. We then see a few other crew members suffocate and freeze to death immediately afterwards. All of it by accident; We see a space station with dead bodies floating around. At least one has a bag over their head which either caused them to suffocate or was used to hide their dead faces. It appears that maybe there is blood inside the bag. We also see some blood smeared on a door; SPOILER WARNING: A man is clearly disturbed from spending years alone on a space station. He admits, with no emotion, to committing some atrocities and killing his fellow crewmembers. As he and another man they leave the space station, they struggle as the first man tries to break free in order to drift off into space. He eventually does; A large explosion destroys a space station (and possibly kills the other man who is most likely still within the blast radius.)

 

Disclaimer: All reviews are based solely on the opinions of the reviewer. Most reviews are rated on how the reviewer enjoyed the film overall, not exclusively on content. However, if the content really affects the reviewer's opinion and experience of the film, it will definitely affect the reviewer's overall rating.

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