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Much science fiction has been produced about people going to outer space to search for inner truths but none like James Gray’s “Ad Astra.” It deals with complex themes and has breathtaking visuals. If you were looking for an action packed adventure, then “Ad Astra” does not deliver that. Rather, it is a profound and beautiful exploration of masculinity and exploring one’s self. The best part is that this film is further brought to life through brilliant storytelling, the outstanding performance of Brad Pitt, and breathtaking technical work. This is why it is a unique film.
Trekking through the vast portals of space, one deeply engraved in the history of humanity’s exploration Roy McBride (Pitt) is, without a doubt, the most outstanding astronaut out there. In the not-too-distant future in which the story takes place, space travel will be as effortless as going to the grocery store, and this is precisely why Roy is adored by the masses – his heart rate never reaches above 80 Becks per minute, even when he catapults to Earth as depicted in the opening scene. The reason behind that loving dive from a tower that extends from space all the way down to the Earth is due to a power surge that obliterates the entire planet, taking with it thousands upon thousands of innocent lives. The suits in charge of space exploration tell McBride thay they have reason to believe that the source of the surge comes from a stationed anti-matter device scrutinized closely near Neptune, the very location everyone had last heard from a well known mission coded as The Lima Project. The goal was always and still is to go to the furthest reaches of our solar system, and just so happened to be led by Roy’s father, H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones). Roy had always thought that his father was dead, Wilson believed H. Clifford was behind the attack of Earth, alive and well.
He is dispatched to Mars in the hopes of finding a long thought dead father, assuming that a relpy might help narrow down his interstellar coordinates.
Disasters on Earth may have stemmed from an entity that has long departed and the world has lost faith – the religious metaphor that is embedded in “Ad Astra” is clear if you read between the lines, but has never been emphasized in a manner that distracts from the film’s tension. The essence of science fiction is to find purpose, and in this, the film narratively indulges in finding the man who made us, along with plenty of questions including why he abandoned us. McBride’s journey starts off with him going first to the moon, which has been mildly reinnovated as a tourist destination with a Subway, and after that, to Mars, which resides as man’s furthest colony. Like in Gray’s previous piece of work, “The Lost City of Z,” changes in a man due to journey and exploration is a huge part of the narrative. The hero, who begins the story with a perfect BPM starts feeling the rise in his pulse the moment he steps out of his house and the comfort of his monotonous life, and with his adventure taking an unexpected turn, the stakes escalating. But steadily Gray finds a point of balance, never losing the human intimacy of his story, keeping us to McBride’s POV whereby whatever he experiences, we do too and vice versa.
And it is masterful how the film feels so expansive in its themes and simultaneously personal.
This is a philosophical film for sure, but there are action sequences and what appear to be real stakes during McBride’s journey. Death occurs. Errors are made. People are selfish, frightened, and avaricious. I get the sense that McBride’s interactions with others that he encounters during his journey, including those played by Donald Sutherland and Ruth Negga, are meant to bring out the humanity in him. As he nears his creator, the ideal man falls to Earth and starts becoming aware of the flaws in the people surrounding him.
Even with the concentration needed for his performance, Pitt still manages to fully embody his character with intricate emotional depth and physicality. Having worked with many directors in the past, this specific approach is unique to Gray. There is much value in illustrating McBride’s thoughts and feelings without ever saying a word and Pitt delivers that sentiment brilliantly in what many might consider being the most multifaceted approach to a character in his entire career. Until this point, I tried to meticulously avoid every overtly theatrical choice available, however, McBride is overly dramatic at the opposite end of every argument, which works just as well. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call a balanced approach to acting. Thanks to “Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood” and “Ad Astra,” his work in 2019 is easily the best of his career, in my opinion. They perfectly capture the notion that an actor’s range goes far beyond a singular role, and they do so in incredibly distinct manners.
As per my observation with Gray’s other films, the craftsmanship here is top notch as well. The color palette from the moon’s black and white to Mars rusty red and beyond is mesmeric. The cinematography done by Hoyte Van Hoytema is at times reminiscent of his work on “Interstellar” where he also blends extreme close-up of space travelers with the overwhelming space. Most impressive and particularly effective is the score by Max Richter which is at the same time grandiose yet eerily intimate.
We are in the era of what some are calling highbrow sci-fi with Inflation, Gravity, and Interstellar making a lot of money while also getting plenty of award nominations. I don’t expect much from “Ad Astra.” It’s a bit too peculiar to be a major box office hit and it is being released by a studio in transition into Disney which is always a mess. Still, I know that time will be kind to how Gray’s film is perceived.
It could happen in any possible future, and even today, we realize how much comfort we often seek, but seem to fail as it never truly serves its purpose. In my opinion, “Ad Astra” is one of the most profoundly evocative films I have seen. It captures my soul in ways that I never expected. If you can give it time and be patient, it pays off in the end.
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