Review of Ad Astra (2019) by Markhreviews — 28 Sep 2019

Co-Writer/Director James Gray (“The Immigrant,” “The Lost City of Z”) clearly had lofty ambitions for “Ad Astra.” Some of his accomplishments are, wait for it, “stellar.” But other key elements of this film simply fail to take off.

Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” is clearly the inspiration for this story (which creates inevitable comparisons to “Apocalypse Now,” a film that also drew upon Conrad’s novella). This film is set in the “near future.” To stop a series of crippling power surges caused by anti-matter experiments, Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is sent by Space Comm (a weaponized NASA) to Neptune, the probable source of the problem. One complicating factor is that Neptune is the location of The Lima Project, which was manned by Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), Roy’s father, who is presumed dead. Will Roy find his father? If so, will he destroy his father’s work to stop the power surges? Or, as with “Apocalypse Now,” is there a risk he will become his father? Potentially, there’s plenty to think about.

Director Gray’s image of our dystopian future is interesting and thought-provoking, but it’s his visuals that are truly breath-taking. From the opening shot of Roy working on the International Space Antenna, the imagery is both memorable and mesmerizing. There are also some wonderfully snarky speculations about what the future may hold – Roy has to “fly commercial” to the moon, where a spacesuit-clad flight attendant sells him a blanket and pillow pack for $125 (some of Gray’s speculations are clearly months, rather than years, in the future).

With appearances by Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler and even Natasha Lyonne (“Russian Doll”) in a tiny cameo (really?!), there is plenty of star power to summon. But this film definitely is Pitt’s extraterrestrial vehicle. His layered portrayal of an externally calm but internally seething Roy, when contrasted with his straightforward role in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” offers further evidence that Pitt is more than just another pretty face.

So long as Gray adheres to the themes from “Heart of Darkness” – concerns about civilization, the risks of imperialism and exploitation – and even some less traditional topics (such as toxic masculinity), the plot is outstanding. Where “Ad Astra” veers badly off course is in its meditation on fathers and sons. This story line, while critical, is completely under-developed, apparently confusing Pitt’s voiceovers with legitimate plot development. As a result, the viewer regularly suffers vertigo – one moment experiencing a riveting space shoot-out with amazing special effects and dazzling cinematography, the next suffering through an interminable interlude of Roy brooding manfully about his own brooding. It’s admirable to shoot for the stars. Unfortunately, “Ad Astra” just misses.