Starring Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland. Directed by James Gray.
The legacy of Apocalypse Now looms large over the history of modern cinema, from giant gorilla movies, to introspective dramas, to space adventures, the film has a lot to answer for, and in the form of this Brad Pitt starring venture, it’s not all good.
Ad Astra takes place in the near future where intense power surges are ravaging the Earth and causing issues. To counter this, Roy McBride is sent on a mission to find his father who may have gone mad looking for aliens.
Thus far reviews for Ad Astra have been surprisingly good, people are considering it an early awards film, and comparisons have looked to Gravity, of course Apocalypse Now, and First Man. The problem is, it has a lot in common with a film like Interstellar but none of the interest.
James Gray produces, co-writes and directs this film, and it’s clear he has no interest in making a big space film ala Interstellar as much as a drama about a father and son. From the off this film is a slog to get through; it’s not terribly long, but it is plodding beyond all compare, as it follows a man whose defining trait is a steady pulse rate.
Brad Pitt is an engaging and charismatic lead, but there is nothing here that does him justice, he’s a boring, monotone man until about an hour into the film when he can finally display some emotion, and even that is fleeting. He’s doing what he can with the material he has been given, and clearly buys into it (he’s also a producer), but the film gives him nothing of any worth.
The near future works quite well, there’s something interesting in the idea that we went to the moon and just turned it into Earth, where space travel is basically like getting a plane to Europe and the moon bases are just like small towns. There’s some interest in that, but it’s short lived and fizzles as soon as it’s shown.
Similarly the long and boring running commentary from Pitt fails to illicit a response, he goes on endlessly about feeling too much emotion, too angry, upset, sad, and yet his face never reacts – there’s more acting in his two second cameo in Deadpool 2.
The film could have been a really interesting science fiction movie if Gray wasn’t so set on making the worlds most boring film. The concept would work for an emotional Interstellar type story, and there’s random action sequences that should be more fun, a moon buggy chase followed by a shoot out, Brad Pitt fighting a monkey in zero gravity, but it’s all done with such a po face that it just looks stupid.
On the positives it’s impressive that a big budget original film is out there in the world, and calls to mind thoughtful films of days gone by, especially given that Brad Pitt isn’t the draw he once was, and Gray isn’t a director like Nolan with long-running avid fans.
The score by Max Richter is a very good and moody which helps aid some of the more ponderous moments in the film, and Hoyte van Hoytema who shot Interstellar does an amazing job, but the film is filled with so much self importance, you’re better off looking for a different movie to enjoy as opposed to this long and boring plod.
There’s very little else to say about the film, it’s forgettable, and boring.
