Review by John Delia
The film Ad Astra may seem like an edge of your seat film with scenes that keep you enthralled, but there’s more to a movie than special effects. The storyline is actually too simple, leaves a lot of questions and becomes more of a travelogue than a drama. In IMAX the movie seems like a lot of the documentaries about space that show the space station, walking in space and much more. Unfortunately this ride takes you on a journey to nowhere and back more documentary fashion than exciting thrills.
Power surges in the form of bolts are striking Earth and causing havoc. Not knowing how to stop the life threatening rays or where they are originating has the government stumped. However a breakthrough has opened the possibility that the answer may be on Neptune on the far side of the Galaxy. It is also the last known whereabouts of former astronaut Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) and the US Space Command feels a trip to that planet may solve their problem.
High on the list of astronauts is Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) son of Clifford McBride. His recollection of his father was during his childhood when Clifford left for space during the Lima Project and never returned. At space command Roy finds out from Colonel Pruitt (Donald Sutherland)Â that his dad may still be alive. Command asks Roy to lead a crew into space to try and contact his father who may know how to stop the power surges.
The story continues after the first 5 to 10 minute introduction and setup with the trip to Jupiter with a stop on both Earth’s moon and Mars. Director and co-writer James Gray who’s no stranger to pulsating thrillers with crime dramas like We Own the Night and The Yards takes on the huge project. Bringing a lot of special effects, green screen and CGI to the story, he mounts an undertaking that contains a lot of imagination on the part of his audience. While he delivers an amazing interstellar experience that equals the likes of Gravity and The Martian, the story behind it becomes so far fetched that it losses its excitement and dulls the mystery of it all.
That said, the acting is very good, especially Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Southerland who are key to the story. Pitt handles the astronaut role showing that Roy can withstand long distance falls, work his way out of death defying situations, and is conditioned to face off against the most violent of space anomalies. He shows that he will do whatever it takes to find his dad and bring him back to Earth. As for Clifford McBride, Jones’s character is still involved in the Lima Project that has put him in contact with Neptune and will protect his work from any obstacles including his son. It’s Sutherland’s Colonel Pruitt however, who holds the key to making it all happen. When their worlds collide there are choices to make that compel them to do or die.
What does bother me however, is the travel distances and time element in getting to the moon and then to mars and then to Jupiter and then back again. The other problem that bothered me was the lack of understanding as to why there is rogue activity on the moon and what it has to do with the main plot. It probably could have been a whole new film altogether, one I would have rather seen for its excitement.
Ad Astra has been rated PG-13 by the MPA for some violence and bloody images, and for brief strong language. Its best seen with IMAX for the experience of the space travel and visits to other planets.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A good space adventure, but mostly for the CGI and cinematography. (3 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland
Directed and co-written by: James Gray
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence and bloody images, and for brief strong language
Running Time: 2 hrs. 2 min.
Opening Date: September 20, 2019
Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox
Released in: IMAX, Dolby Atmos Standard, Color