Okay, let's get right to the point: Ad Astra is better than Interstellar. As far as big, profound sci-fi movies about sad astronauts go, this one is the clear winner. It's not got anything as good as Matthew McConaughey breaking down as he watches a lifetime's worth of his daughter's videos, but it also doesn't have anything as crushingly stupid as a man hiding in a bookcase and leaving messages in the dust. Ad Astra is equally self-important but also remarkably restrained. It doesn't reach for the heights Interstellar did, but in doing so it doesn't miss them either.
Set roughly a hundred years in the future, Brad Pitt stars as Major Roy McBride, an astronaut so methodical he's able to handle free-falling from Earth's orbit without his blood pressure rising. They really want to drive home how cool-headed he is, the film even takes pains to point out how rarely his heart rate increases. When a mysterious interplanetary surge threatens all life in the solar system, he's sent on a voyage to Mars. It turns out that his dad - played by a suitably weary-eyed Tommy Lee Jones - was the leader of a mission to Neptune to explore the possibility of alien life, only to vanish without a trace. And now he's returned and the technology used to power his aging ship has the power to wipe out all life as we know it.
Faster than you can say "Event Horizon," Pitt is travelling through space to confront a father he's believed to be dead for most of his life and his icy facade starts to crack. And if there's one thing Ad Astra does well, it's convey how the sheer scale of the universe. The distance between the Earth and the Moon seems vast, cold and empty. The distance to Mars and Neptune is almost beyond comprehension. Beyond that, it's terrifying. Space is silent, dark and even the largest spaceship is but a tiny speck, as insignificant as an individual piece of dust in a ray of sunlight. It's awe-inspiring and scary, death is only a fabric tear away. And McBride's journey grows increasingly troublesome the further he gets from Earth.
The obvious comparison is Apocalypse Now, the vastness of space replacing the river and Jones' lost spaceman replacing Brando's insane soldier. Ad Astra doesn't stray from crowd-pleasing setpieces either; Apocalypse Now had that incredible helicopter attack sequence, whereas Ad Astra has a moon buggy chase scene which is remarkably entertaining. It's a rare moment of popcorn-munching fun but weirdly, it doesn't feel out of place. The angry space baboons however are certainly pushing it.
However, for all its good points, Ad Astra does play it remarkably safe. There is room here for fascinating philosophical ruminations on man's place in the universe, but it instead concentrates on a straightforward hero's journey. It doesn't embrace the more wide-reaching themes and instead plays too close to its inspirations. If you've seen Apocalypse Now, you know how this is going to end. And there's never any danger of it straying from the path.
But, while it has faults, Ad Astra is definitely worth a watch. It is full of cool visuals, from vast blue planets hanging in the inky blackness, to the surrealism of astronauts swimming through murky underground rivers. Pitt is fully committed too, his performance is top-notch and just as well; this is very much a one-man show. Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler and even Tommy Lee Jones are really no more than glorified cameos. Ad Astra is very good, but it's not excellent. It's not as clever as it thinks it is but visually it's stunning, Pitt is excellent and he does not wind up in a bookcase. That fact alone earns it an extra point from me.
Set roughly a hundred years in the future, Brad Pitt stars as Major Roy McBride, an astronaut so methodical he's able to handle free-falling from Earth's orbit without his blood pressure rising. They really want to drive home how cool-headed he is, the film even takes pains to point out how rarely his heart rate increases. When a mysterious interplanetary surge threatens all life in the solar system, he's sent on a voyage to Mars. It turns out that his dad - played by a suitably weary-eyed Tommy Lee Jones - was the leader of a mission to Neptune to explore the possibility of alien life, only to vanish without a trace. And now he's returned and the technology used to power his aging ship has the power to wipe out all life as we know it.
Faster than you can say "Event Horizon," Pitt is travelling through space to confront a father he's believed to be dead for most of his life and his icy facade starts to crack. And if there's one thing Ad Astra does well, it's convey how the sheer scale of the universe. The distance between the Earth and the Moon seems vast, cold and empty. The distance to Mars and Neptune is almost beyond comprehension. Beyond that, it's terrifying. Space is silent, dark and even the largest spaceship is but a tiny speck, as insignificant as an individual piece of dust in a ray of sunlight. It's awe-inspiring and scary, death is only a fabric tear away. And McBride's journey grows increasingly troublesome the further he gets from Earth.
The obvious comparison is Apocalypse Now, the vastness of space replacing the river and Jones' lost spaceman replacing Brando's insane soldier. Ad Astra doesn't stray from crowd-pleasing setpieces either; Apocalypse Now had that incredible helicopter attack sequence, whereas Ad Astra has a moon buggy chase scene which is remarkably entertaining. It's a rare moment of popcorn-munching fun but weirdly, it doesn't feel out of place. The angry space baboons however are certainly pushing it.
However, for all its good points, Ad Astra does play it remarkably safe. There is room here for fascinating philosophical ruminations on man's place in the universe, but it instead concentrates on a straightforward hero's journey. It doesn't embrace the more wide-reaching themes and instead plays too close to its inspirations. If you've seen Apocalypse Now, you know how this is going to end. And there's never any danger of it straying from the path.
But, while it has faults, Ad Astra is definitely worth a watch. It is full of cool visuals, from vast blue planets hanging in the inky blackness, to the surrealism of astronauts swimming through murky underground rivers. Pitt is fully committed too, his performance is top-notch and just as well; this is very much a one-man show. Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler and even Tommy Lee Jones are really no more than glorified cameos. Ad Astra is very good, but it's not excellent. It's not as clever as it thinks it is but visually it's stunning, Pitt is excellent and he does not wind up in a bookcase. That fact alone earns it an extra point from me.