21st Century Fox may have been bought by Disney, but it has one arresting, complex, beautiful science fiction masterpiece left before the deal closes.
With the release of more Avengers and Star Wars movies, coupled with all the other blockbusters labelling themselves as sci-fi, I sometimes wonder if sci-fi has lost its way. Has the genre devolved to the cinema of attractions?
Gone are the days of Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Here to stay is the pulp.
Not so, if Ad Astra has anything to say about it.
The film reminds the viewer that the future is a powerful place to explore our present. A tour-de-force and a rare cinematic experience, the film is breathtakingly beautiful and deeply moving.
Taking place in the dystopian near-future, Roy McBride (Brad Pitt), is the son of late astronaut H.W. McBride (Tommy Lee Jones). When the world begins to suffer from catastrophic solar flares, H.W. is suspected to be alive and involved. So Roy is asked to get in touch with him.
The film is worthy of interpretation. It is bleak, yet so resonant of the real world. The movie speaks on American imperialism in a way that is subtle, yet perfect.
The movie is a technical feat, drawing from a mix of classical inspirations, including Alien and 2001. The movie is a top to bottom masterpiece, and it deserves mountains of praise.
Ad Astra’s evocation of an Apocalypse Now-style voice over is one of its most fascinating elements. Pitt’s inner monologue is a gritty, realistic personal take on the events in the film.
Though it’s a technique that’s often shied away from nowadays, director and screenwriter James Gray uses voice over with a deft hand. It’s a unique touch that has immediate impact from the opening scene. It sets the tone for the film perfectly by giving us access to Pitt’s thoughts.
All around Roy is a world so out of focus, so odd, so broken–a reflection of himself. The melancholy feeling of the world echoes today. He himself is restrained, frowning, staring, drifting away, sometimes from a world that is just not for him.
Pitt is absolutely at his best, as are supporting actors Jones, Ruth Negga, and Donald Sutherland.
For all the acting big shots, the true all-star of the film is director of photography Hoyte Van Hoytema. Van Hoytema has surpassed the staggering career peak that was Dunkirk. The intimacy and horror of some shots is a marvel of film-making.
The way it tells its story is so amazing, and so gritty. It feels tangible. It’s slower than real life, yet maddening like a half-remembered dream.
Ad Astra dares you not to care, but knows you will be driven mad by its beauty.
But, for all its positives, the film has endured some criticism. It would be remiss not to mention the film’s controversial representation of women. Liv Tyler, who played Roy McBride’s wife, was essentially written out of the film.
This is clearly to heighten the isolation of McBride. But it certainly mutes Tyler’s screen presence.
Ultimately, it is a singular character study, about one (white) man. There’s not much more to say about that.
It’s not a group coming together, a perceived lack of representation is probably due to a lack of characters.
The film is struggling after a small opening weekend with low odds of improving. It seems to be a box office failure. With much of the discourse of the movie now focusing on the representation of women, the movie has had a tough time finding its footing. Especially against the competition of Hustlers, this film seems to have lost out on the middle market.
With the hotly anticipated Joker coming out next month, it seems the odds won’t improve. 21st Century Fox’s final film will go out with a whimper when it deserves thundering applause.
Ad Astra is a hauntingly beautiful look into the future. Sadly, it feels as though it has no place in the present.
Nine Brad Pitts out of 10 perfect compositions.
