James Gray's Ad Astra (Post-release)

[p51]

I saw it yesterday, and in a word, "Meh."
The nuts and bolts of me proved distracting:

• The opening sequence of an antenna array anchored on the ground that went into space
• Tears going down a face in zero gravity
• "Space Force" uniforms that were simply pre-9/11 Army class A uniforms with almost NO insignia of any kind (something that really made no sense to me)
• People with ranks that did not fit the ages of the actors whatsoever
• An animal research space craft nowhere near Earth orbit?

Yeah, this is a mash-up of "2001" and "Apocalypse Now," taking the more confusing elements of each.
I've described this to some friends as one of those movies that could easily be half an hour shorter than it is without the audience missing anything. Also, that by the end, you are sort of left wondering what the overall purpose of the plot really was. I've also followed with three key words: Wait For Video.
While it isn’t a bad movie, I’d say it’s just not as a good a movie as the people who made probably think it is.
At least making a "Space Force" class A uniform will be easy to make for a con; just wait for someone to make the patches, then find a good surplus store!

 

[Banzai88]

While Ad Astra was in development, real-life events overtook the film's satire. Trump officially established the new military branch called US Space Command and called space the "next warfighting domain."

"It's idiotic," says Gray of Trump's militarized vision of space. There's also the bizarre coincidence that Pitt's character, Major Roy McBride, is part of Space Command. "Unfortunately, [the film] has come completely true, even the same name. Which is really depressing."

Well at least we know what it should look like.

 

[Shryyyk]

He goes to space for space reasons and some random space stuff happens.

Yes! Exactly this. The dialog/storyline was...eeeh, but the space stuff was stunning!

 

[ddspike22]

Tears going down a face in zero gravity

Brad Pitt’s ‘Ad Astra’ Acting Is So Good, It Forced Director James Gray to Screw With Science

 

[StevenBills]

I liked it. I think people were expecting a huge physical confrontation between Roy and his dad when they finally met, and since that didn't happen, they feel ripped off in some way? With the exception of a few scenes, this is not an action movie, and it was never meant to be. It's an emotional journey for Brad Pitt's character. It was an emotional payoff for Roy to finally see what his father had become for himself. It's finally closure after 30 years.

SB

 

[0neiros]

What it comes down to is that the further Roy goes into space, the more of his humanity he gained, whereas his father the deeper into space he went, the more of his humanity he shed. I mean the SOB couldn't even have the courtesy to jettison the bodies of the crew members he killed, Whereas Roy was deeply wounded by the fact he had to kill (In self defense), if they had listened to him for 2 seconds, but no, gotta be good little compliant soldaten. Sad thing is Pitt will be snubbed by the academy because it's a Sci-Fi film.
I've seen Star Stars dozens of times, and Annie Hall once (I fell asleep), yet which one won for best picture 1977...

 

[robstyle]

I felt a kinship to Tommy Lee Jones wanting to kill himself near the end of the flick...

Should be the #1 review headling for the home release box art.

What keeps blowing my mind is, if they wanted Roland Kickinger so much that they made Brad Pitt into Roland Kickinger, why didnt they just get Roland Kickinger?

 

[Noeland]

It felt like they were so concerned with it not being an action film that it ended up being dry as a mouthful of martian sand. I really liked some of it, and I really disliked some of it. I enjoyed the first half hour a lot. The opening was cool. The establishing of the threat and the interrogation/briefing scene was very tense and well played. But once Donald Sutherland was introduced and then quickly dismissed it just seemed to be a mishmash of ideas and minimalist set design with sparse dialogue and very little plot. The end of the film felt corny and the scenes with his father were terribly unsatisfying. Tommy Lee Jones was wasted. And yeah, Pitt did look a bit like Kickinger now that you mention it. Hahahaha. It just seemed like there was so much missed opportunity for story and dialogue.