Today’s quick review: Ad Astra. After the disappearance of his father (Tommy Lee Jones) on a deep space mission years ago, Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) has honored his legacy by becoming one the finest astronauts in Space Command. But his resolve is put to the test when a series of destructive energy surges are traced to his father’s ship near Neptune. To stop the surges, Roy must venture into deep space and attempt to contact his missing father.
Ad Astra is a science fiction drama about an astronaut’s journey through the Solar System in search of his missing father. The movie takes place in the near future, when space travel is flourishing but the search for extraterrestrial life is ongoing. Ad Astra explores this future through the eyes of Roy McBride, a highly focused astronaut with deep psychological issues. Personal drama and the perils of space form the backbone of the film.
Ad Astra is a highly introspective film. The story is as much about Roy’s psychology as his mission, with frequent internal monologues and reflections on his mental state. Roy’s detached personality, abandonment issues, and utter devotion to his mission give the film a unique angle that meshes well with the danger and isolation of space. But his character arc has more intellectual than emotional appeal, due to a lack of subtlety in a few key places.
Unfortunately, Ad Astra doesn’t invest quite as much effort into its science fiction. The setting has the trappings of hard sci-fi, but the plot plays fast and loose with its science content. Ad Astra gives very little focus to the technical side of space travel, instead using it as a backdrop for a more personal story. The movie’s periodic attempts to inject action into the story come across as artificial, at odds with its sober setting.
The outcome is a hybrid of three strains of science fiction: personal drama, spacefaring adventure, and near-future speculation. Ad Astra fares the best with its drama, with an unusual main character in Roy McBride and a convincing performance from Brad Pitt. Its action and speculation are on shakier ground, but they bring enough to the table to make Ad Astra a solid pick for fans of the sci-fi genre, albeit one with some flaws.
For a more powerful sci-fi drama that deals with similar themes, try Interstellar. For a more grounded tale of survival ins pace, try Gravity or The Martian. For another story about a successor to failed space mission, try Sunshine. For a more artful rumination on space travel and the future of mankind, try 2001: A Space Odyssey.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for strong character work and an interesting near future setting.