AD Astra desperately attempts to come across as a gorgeous and meaningful slow burn, but instead forgets to do anything with the mountain of tension looming over the story at its climax. Director James Gray definitely knows how to get a shot, but says very little with Ad Astra’s 2hr 14min runtime. Checking the clock multiple times during Ad Astra may not indicate a broken film, just an empty one.
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Brad Pitt plays Roy McBride, an astronaut on a mission to find his missing father (played by Tommy Lee Jones) out in space and save the world. The secrecy surrounding the mission only fuels Roy’s daddy issues as he delves further into space.
The stunning visuals of Ad Astra captivate the eyes. James Gray does an excellent job of lighting and framing each shot just right. He and the film never disappoint in this department, and watching Ad Astra for the cinematography alone might prove worthwhile.
If it does prove worthwhile, it will not have anything to do with the rest of the movie. Brad Pitt does his best, but the film does not give him much to work with. Side characters are just that, relegated to the sidelines and only given a meager number of lines. Tommy Lee Jones does not get enough time to leave much of an impact, but like Brad Pitt, strives to make the most of it.
Ad Astra tries to cultivate a contemplative atmosphere with rising tension; however, it actually moves painfully slow except for short bursts of action designed to wake the audience back up. Slower paced films can and often do work (see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for a recent example), but they need to either have something interesting to say, say something in an interesting way, or get a little weird and wild at the end. Basically, they need to have a payoff and Ad Astra has none. Ad Astra instead offers viewers standard issue commentary on family, father-son relationships, and appreciating what you have in front of you. Nothing too exciting. The film does have one good line rephrasing these concepts in a unique context, but it does not do enough.
No matter how hard it tries, Ad Astra amounts to nothing more than mere eye candy. It seemingly mutes most of its actors’ performances to lend gravity to the drama, yet never capitalizes on the tension it creates. The conclusion has nothing unique to offer and does not redeem or enhance the slog endured to get there. Visuals alone cannot save this film, but you should save yourself the time.
