Skip to main content

Ad Astra

A review by Brooks Rich

Ad Astra was a film that did not meet my expectations, but not in a bad way. James Gray is a filmmaker who paces his films very specifically. The Lost City of Z was a masterpiece, but it was not for the casual movie fan. That film moved at a snail's pace at times. I was expecting the same from Ad Astra. I like James Gray as a filmmaker a lot, and I didn't think this would be a rock 'em sock’em science fiction adventure epic. Even without that sci-fi adventure feel, it still surprised with some of its set pieces and shocking moments of violence. This is a fantastic film and one of the best of the year. 

Brad Pitt plays Roy McBride, a major in the US Space Command in the near future. McBride is the son of a legendary commander named Clifford McBride, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who had disappeared years before during something called the Lima Project, which was searching for intelligent life at the edge of our Solar System. With the Earth threatened by electrical surges from space, Roy sets off for Mars in an attempt to communicate with his possibly still alive father and hopefully figure out what's causing the surges.

There's a lot more going on in this film than what I just said. Gray brilliantly builds a world around us without being blatant. There are no long exposition scenes explaining the geopolitical state of this near future. We just get bits and pieces of information as the story progresses and we figure it out. That is a lost art in fiction....being able to properly explain a science fiction or fantasy world without giant exposition dumps. Not enough people are giving Ad Astra credit for this. 

Brad Pitt is the star of this film. He's in almost every scene and serves as the narrator as well. This is one of his best performances in years and I expect some amount of recognition come award season. He plays Roy with heart but he doesn't overdo it, allowing the character to be internal at times. It's a subtle, brilliant performance and shows that Pitt is one of our best actors.

This is my favorite film of the year. It just hit me in the right way and I love brilliant science fiction that doesn't over explain itself. Track this one down immediately if you are a science fiction fan. It's available to rent on most platforms. 

Rating: 5/5


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forgotten Film Friday: Absolute Power

Clint Eastwood stars as Luther Whitney, a jewel thief who works in the Washington DC area. One night while he is stealing from a mansion he is forced to hide in a secret compartment with a two way mirror. From there he observes a sexual rezendevous with the wife of a powerful man and the President of the United States Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman) Suddenly the president gets aggressive and while defending herself the woman is shot to death by two Secret Service agents. Luther manages to get away with a letter opener the woman stabbed the president with. At first Luther plans to flee the country. But when he is disgusted by a statement the president makes, Luther decides to expose the crime. I miss these kind of films. The nineties was a great time for thrillers exactly like this. They are not the flashiest films but they are also not obsessed with big action scenes. It's all plot and character with them. Sure this plot might be a little out there but Eastwood makes it work. He's...
1 comment
Read more

Oscar Bait month: The Shipping News

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich Lasse Hallstrom is one of those directors I think is incredibly talented but his films normally don't do a thing for me. There just always that comes up short for me, whether its the story or how its shot or the acting or something. Most people will know Hallstrom as the director of What's Eating Gilbert Grape, the breakout role of Leonardo Dicaprio. That is probably my favorite of his films. I know everyone loves Chocolat. Great, enjoy, I think it's lame. But today let's discuss his follow up to The Cider House Rules, his film from 1999 which did very well come awards season, and Chocolat. Both of these films did very well, especially The Cider House Rules. The big reward it got was Best Supporting Actor for Michael Caine. It also won Best Adapted Screenplay for John Irving. This isn't fair to Cider House Rules but I think it's overrated as far as nominations go. 1999 is one of the greatest years in cinema and really? We nominate...
Post a Comment
Read more

John Travolta month: Saturday Night Fever

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich So this was not the big start of John Travolta's career. That would be the classic sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. But this did elevate Travolta to another level. For any of you going oh come on. This silly movie with a disco soundtrack? Come on, Brooks. Just wait. Have you ever actually seen this? This isn't about disco. Disco just happens to be the music of choice. This about the kind of people who are kings at the dance clubs and then losers the rest of the time. There is a lot of darkness and truth in this film. So if you've never seen it please. Do yourself a flavor and check it out. Just watch it and then come back to read this.  This is a movie about the different types of people we become between our real lives and our weekend lives. Tony Manero is a regular working class guy in a Brooklyn neighborhood, struggling to make ends meet and dealing with his loving but at times overbearing family. He lives in the shadow of his priest brother. ...
Post a Comment
Read more