Score: C-
Directed by James Gray
Starring Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga
Running time: 124 minutes
Rated PG-13
Long Story Short: Brad Pitt is an astronaut with a family legacy to live up to in this sprawling sci-fi picture. Despite a promising set up, Ad Astra ends up adrift due to trying to be both a serious, awards-style drama and an exciting adventure. The script is nowhere near up to the task, and Pitt, left to work pretty much solo, isn't, either. Not recommended for any but the most hardcore sci-fi fans.
As humanity reaches further and further into the galaxy - including a moon base and frequent explorations into deep space - the Earth itself begins to be subjected to mysterious power surges. Astronaut Maj. Roy McBride (Pitt) meets top officials, who inform him that the surges may be emanating from the mission of the famed Clifford McBride, Roy's father. The younger McBride agrees to lead a search mission, though just getting to space requires a battery of sensitive psychological testing and work with a team of eager yet naive flight mates. Clifford has not been seen or heard from in sixteen years; has his personal quest grown out control, endangering his son and many others?
For a big movie, Ad Astra has a small cast, and even fewer significant players involved. Brad Pitt is the focal point, as Maj. McBride. One of Hollywood's last remaining megastars, Pitt really doesn't show us anything new here; in fact, it's an underwhelming performance that he seems vulnerable to now and then. His McBride is the brooding hero type, stoic to the outside world (particularly on those pesky psych evals) yet supposedly anguished and conflicted on the inside. A large portion of the blame goes to the inert script, but Pitt just can't seem to resist being seen as an ubermensch, cooly competent and unerringly right when those around him flail helplessly. This movie is crying out for emotional connection, but Pitt can't provide any. There really aren't any other major characters; the most important is the elder McBride, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who is seen in brief recorded clips until a few minutes of live action. Jones makes sense in the role but he's wasted; the inevitable father-son reunion is sterile, and Clifford disappointingly dull. Ruth Negga gets the next biggest part but it's basically a plot device to help Pitt on his way; and Liv Tyler gets to play yet another Sad Wife (it would have been better to cut this part entirely).
Ad Astra tries to be both Prestige Pic and exciting action film; it never strikes the balance and ends up failing altogether, save the visuals and a few set pieces. The premise and near-future world of the film are at least interesting. A mysterious, long-lost explorer may hold the key to averting disaster on Earth, and it's interesting, in the first part of the film, seeing the imagined space infrastructure - from massive, miles-long low orbit stations to a commercialized moon base. Some of the action is exciting (although ultimately predictable), and the cinematography - esp. eerie blue Neptune and its rings - is well done and the film at least knows enough to give it a co-starring role with Pitt. But frankly, it's just a mess after that. It tries to achieve two main narrative goals, both through Pitt: make his way to deep space to (physically) find his father and prevent a disaster; and, ostensibly more importantly, emotionally find his father and inner peace. Unfortunately, the script is a disaster, both in the overall plotting and the scene-to-scene execution. The threat - power surges - is on one hand too abstract, but also happens to strike at the most convenient times (if not for poor Pitt) to try to juice the film with a little action. The government is implied as a cynical, if not sinister, force... yet Pitt ends up doing exactly what they want him to do, anyway. Much of the action is also ludicrous, if not unintentionally hilarious, from murderous space monkeys, to Pitt literally surfing through Neptune's rings, to a space shuttle version of the airplane take off-stowaway ploy(!). Some of this might be acceptable if the film was just meant as a simple blockbuster, but most of the time it is clearly trying to be a Dark, Slow, Awards Bait movie. This is where the father-son portion comes in. But for all the voice-over describing how Pitt felt abandoned by his father and has now ruined his own life by following in his footsteps, there is absolutely no feeling of connection to either McBride or their relationship. The movie tries to shoehorn in beats from other (far superior) sci-fi films to achieve prestige and power, but they are all for show, and all the emptier by comparison.
***
Ad Astra is another disappointing film in a year that has been worryingly full of them for me. I am rather stupefied that it has an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment (though some critics do seem to share my far more negative views on it). I must say that my interest in sci-fi has waned quite a bit in recent years; partly because they are usually too dark and moody, partly because I'm tiring of many of the well-worn tropes (Ad Astra grates on me with both of those). On the other hand, I have called for more original films from Hollywood in this very space in other reviews. Well, this is not the way to do it. If you're a huge sci-fi fan, hey, give it a try - maybe you'll like it more than I do, as many of the critics do. But otherwise, I recommend just skipping it altogether.
* By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61092966
