Ad Astra

Ignore the trailers, Ad Astra is all about the hard work that goes on behind the scenes of the advertisements for Opel Cars. Their sleek lines, their glorious interiors, their turbocharged engines, their........I jest of course. Ad Astra is the story of self absorbed men and the distances they go to to get away from it all.

Earth. The near future. The world is ruined. Mankind has journeyed beyond the confines of the planet in search of alternative fuel sources and extraterrestrial life. The moon has become a warzone as countries plunder it's resources and Mars has become the launching point for missions beyond the stars. A rogue power surge emanating from the distance reaches of our solar system has just hit Earth causing catastrophic problems and Major Roy McBride has been tasked with solving the problem because he may have a personal connection to the root of the issue.

Ad Astra builds a world that seems both scarily realistic and horribly, blandly sterile. Lunar travel has become commercial and you get absolutely rode for the privilege. The moon has become just another homogenised holiday destination. Every move you make is questioned and under scrutiny. Every thought is up for analysis. Mankind has colonised another planet and ruined it like we ruin everything. It's against this brilliantly realised backdrop that the plot of Ad Astra (latin for "To the Stars" btw) plays out and unfortunately it just feels like yet another ponderous and somewhat inconsequential story of one man's mission to find himself and understand what makes him tick. 

It's James Grey's film but it feels like Terrence Malick in space. The languid, downbeat narration, the beauty of nature that can turn bad in a moment, the destructive path men weave through everything we encounter. It's not until the end that the main theme of the film stands out and while it rings true it just doesn't feel like enough. It's like a car trip through a glorious landscape that ends in a disappointing destination. The journey though, a feast for the eyes. Grey wanted to make the most realistic depiction of space travel and he's succeeded. Every frame away from Earth is beauty and danger in equal measure.

Brad Pitt is excellent in the main role. He's always a likable onscreen presence and the last decade or so as seen some phenomenal work from him. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Killing Them Softly. Troubled men, dappled with shades of grey. Roy McBride is the latest. Cool as a cucumber but a sea of turmoil under the surface, scarred by the past, unafraid of the future as a result. It's mighty work and not surprisingly everyone else works in his shadow but we still get solid showings from Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and our own Ruth Negga who turns up as a Martian with a past not dissimilar to Roy. Liv Tyler as Roy's wife Eve though may as well have not even been in the film and Natasha Lyonne's appearance is just an insult to her.

Ad Astra isn't going to be a film for everyone. I found it ultimately disappointing but I've always had trouble with sci-fi that didn't contain lightsabres, AT-ST's and Ewoks. Go for the beauty of interplanetary travel, a superbly visualised future and a Brad Pitt showing that once again cements his status as one of the best leading men around. Just don't expect much else. Apart from the most surprising space attack you'll ever see. Seriously.