Review of Ad Astra (2019) by Davrosdaleks1 — 29 Sep 2019

Ad Astra is basically a little bit of a mesh of Black Hole meets Apocalypse Now as Brad Pitt plays an astronaut who goes into space seeking his long thought dead father played by Tommy Lee Jones who may be linked to a serious of dangerous electrical surges. It's a great looking film that can also be pretty dull at points.

This is one of the most visually impressive films of the year. There is just so much gorgeous scenery and special effects. Includes the best looking realization of the moon's surface I've ever seen. The film does a great job of balancing the whiteness or colors of the spacecraft with the darkness of space. The cinematography is also excellent with just some great camera shots.

The movie does a strong job of world building in this near future world where space travel is easier and travel to the moon is pretty routine. The setting is explained naturally without forced exposition.

This is a very deliberately paced movie that focuses too much on the hero's journey for it's own good. This is isn't too much of an issue for the first half of the film as they throw several interesting things at you. However as Pitt's character travels further away from human civilization, scenes get far more drawn out and just plain boring. I had to step away for a few minutes and didn't miss anything.

It doesn't help the movie any that the main story and the hero's journey are all really basic and predictable when you get down to it.

Though I just said how simple his character's arc was, Pitt does a really good job of selling the guy especially since he has his emotions in check for a good part of the film. Though he's not in this much, Jones also does a hell of a job. (Also, this isn't really relevant to the content of the film, but Donald Pleasance is in this and this is the first time I've seen him without facial hair. I think he's a reverse Trebeck in that I actually thinks he looks better without it despite being accustomed to him with the moustache and sometimes beard for years.).

I think this film is more appealing to those you are interested in intellectual films. If you're into pure entertainment, this may not be your thing.