The highly anticipated 2019 film Ad Astra was directed by James Gray who looks at a mundane script of an inexpensive, enjoyable space adventure as well as thickly, slowly profound presence of the former. Brad Pitt stars as Roy McBride, an astronaut in the near future who must take himself to frozen depths of Neptune to find his father Cliff (Tommy Lee Jones) who has or does not have a black hole bomb that can destroy the entire solar system.
While moving closer to where they believe his father’s consciousness may have gone and what Roy perceives he might become, he will move through ever more inhospitable surroundings. In Terrence Malick-like voiceover narration reminiscent of his own experiences, there is a beautiful score composed by Max Richter and among the most incredible images from outer space ever shot on film (by Hoyte van Hoytema who also worked on Interstellar) before all which it becomes nearly intolerable in its slow gloominess so much that one would be tempted to buy Gray some chocolate milkshake and give him friendly pat on the back.
It was indeed quite brilliant for them to make their sci-fi version of Heart of Darkness. But usually staid Gray comes alive a bit during the first half of Ad Astra. One thing about Kevin Thompson whose production designer is that alongside Gray they have created an atmospherically lived-in world just around the corner with bases on moon made to resemble run down airports; gangs with ray guns prowling over lunar landscape in hot rodded buggies; therapy sessions consisting mainly of mandatory corny meditation room visits decorated with butterflies pictures and dreamy Hearts Of Space muzac.
Certainly, one could argue that this opening scene – where Roy falls from a ridiculously high space ladder – is like something out of Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity in terms of sheer nail-biting action. At least until recently when he only used slumbered themes in his sci-fi works, Gray has never been as vibrant as he is in the early stages of this film (e.g. We Own the Night and Two Lovers are not exactly quick films).
His use of sorrowful grandeur becomes a bit too much for me to appreciate after some time. He really hits the brakes after an incredible middle section with an abandoned spaceship, yes, and a predatory animal. “I don’t know if I hope to find him or be free of him,” intones Pitt with his usual somber delivery. The focus on daddy issues becomes evident right away along with some rather trite metaphors about God that have been used one too many times along with other existential clichés.
By then Roy is at journey’s end which will remain undisclosed till you have watched it yourself, Ad Astra has gone into a coma for nearly an hour. It seems like I had to drink strong tea because I was dozing off while watching the movie from behind my eyelids. Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who adores Solaris (1972) and has seen it twice in cinemas till now despite its dreariness.
Even space makes filmmakers feel awed by infinity. Some of the best films ever made are about this, though. James Gray, one of those director’s who thinks they can, like myself, also respects Browne’s adventurous attitude and will decide to dive into deep black empty space as he contemplates our own smallness and insignificance and relationship with missing fathers/Gods. It is necessarily a bold move intellectually though such questions must be raised in big budget Hollywood blockbusters that are intended to be thought provoking rather than just thrilling.
However, I can like Ad Astra as an intelligent thriller for adults more than I can appreciate it as a movie in totality. Gray’s lack of humor and his hangdog solemnity undermine his film’s emotional power so that when the film ends you feel bad about yourself rather than moved or intellectually stimulated.
The Final Moment
But then again Ad Astra is not great, although it is grand. The technical achievement of James Gray’s film is quite impressive; nevertheless, the first half of it is very exciting and somehow touches on depth. What follows however slows down to an infuriatingly slow pace, thus ultimately leaving you drained and apathetic
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