Ad Astra

The new Brad Pitt vehicle, Ad Astra, is a moody, meditative art house film disguised as a big budget sci fi thriller. You may go in expecting one thing, but I can almost guarantee you’re going to get something other than what you anticipate. 

Set in the not-so-distant future, Pitt plays Major Roy McBride, a U.S. astronaut who is famous for two things: his heart rate never rising above 80 beats per minute, even in times of emergency, and being the son of Clifford McBride, the genius scientist/explorer who disappeared on a mission to the outer rim of the solar system in search of extra-terrestrial life. When earth begins to be seemingly attacked by devastating waves of energy that originate from the spot where Clifford McBride disappeared, it seems obvious that the son played by Pitt is the person to send into the void to stop it.

Depending on the approach, this could have been a cocky action thriller starring Chris Pratt or Dwayne Johnson, but because it was directed by James Gray, a guy who came out of the indie movie world and who has a distinctively ambitious literary bent to him, it is anxious, contemplative, existential, and quiet.

As Pitt’s character McBride makes his way from earth all the way out to Neptune, there are certainly exciting moments. In fact, the film begins with him having to parachute from earth’s outer atmosphere where he’s working on a massive space antennae when the first of the energy attacks occurs. The sequence is realistic enough it had people in the theater involuntarily covering their mouths as they stared at the screen. At a stop on the Moon, McBride and his escorts fly across the bleak landscape in a rover, trying to outrun pirates. Later, investigating a distress call from a medical vessel, McBride encounters a very unexpected opponent I won’t spoil here.

However, even during these seemingly traditional moments of action, the mood of the film is dour and dream-like. McBride’s utter calm and emotional removal make him a fascinating but cold protagonist to follow. There’s no swagger, no fly-boy smile, no snarky sarcasm. Other critics have compared Ad Astra to Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, another story of one man slowly making his way toward a distant, fateful, probably deadly destination. The symbolic meaning of Ad Astra never really cohered for me. I was never quite sure what it was all supposed to add up to, but a completely isolated man traveling through the darkness to find a God-like father-figure who vanished from his world years before gives you an idea of the general direction the film goes. The film’s thematic ambiguity is probably part of the point.

Visually, the film builds on the other Oscar-bait sci fi movies that have come out in recent years. A touch of The Martian here, some Gravity there, a little bit of Interstellar everywhere. A dash of Blade Runner 2049 thrown in for good measure. The production design is marvelous. It creates a world that is simultaneously futuristic and believable. The concrete shopping mall environment of the spaceport on the Moon and the silent, red-tinted underground hive of the Mars base are particular standouts. The sound design too was subtle but essential to the story and mood of the Ad Astra. McBride’s voiceover along with the acoustics of each different environment were obviously carefully thought out and expertly crafted.  

Enjoying Ad Astra requires a tolerance for ambiguity and no expectation for many of contemporary American filmmaking’s conventions such as a likeable protagonist, a clear message, and a happy ending. It is a beautiful, expertly made film, but if you go in expecting Armageddon or even The Martian, you’re going to be disappointed. If you go in like Roy McBride, not knowing what to expect at the end of your journey into the darkness and can even enjoy the not knowing, Ad Astra might be just the film for you.