Ad Astra

[MrWayne]

It doesn't help that they kinda fumbled the Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones relationship. To me it felt hallow and cold the entire time.

Agreed... I felt nothing there and the whole daddy issue thing wasn't needed as I never get a sense Roy has any since he's so closed off.

I don't want my opinions to take away from the film. There are some really good, no.. a lot of great things in this film. Just these plot points fell short for me.

But I also think we are kinda spoiled by what we expect from the sci-fi movie genre these days.
Like I am sure I was not alone in expecting a surprise ending twist of some kind.

 

[Web-Head]

I think it worked because Tommy Lee Jones really sold it. He was fantastic there towards the end

 

[Doctor Jones]

It was just great to get a simple sci fi story. And best yet, it executed its story to its fullest. I was expecting this movie to change into an alien type thing but I'm glad it never went there. It's a story about a man trying to reach himself with the not letting go of the father story as a journey to get there.

 

[metaphysician]

The audience score for this is only 56%.

I'm not surprised.

Spoiler

I suspect that the average movie-goer interested in going to a movie about space, space travel, and space exploration? Is not at all interested in a movie whose core theme is "Wouldn't it be better if we didn't go to space?"

I have no idea why the Hollywood critical and creative establishment so loves that cliche.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Just got back and I can't quite put my finger on why but I walked out a little disappointed. It's similar to last year's Annihilation for me in that it has some amazing sequences, is a great movie to watch with awesome effects, cinematography and awesome performances, yet I walked away finding it all a bit pointless in the end.

I wouldn't advise anyone to miss this on the cinema as it's certainly a spectacle, but the way the story plays out just didn't quite sit right by the end.

7.5/10

 

[8ulk87]

Boy oh boy this movie is badddddd.

Boring , dark and slow paced.

Not even close to The Martian (decent) let alone Gravity (masterpiece) or Interstellar (masterpiece).

The audiences have it correct and the critics wrong.

Oh look its drama but in space !

5/10 and im being generous.

If i had a choice between Dark Pheonix and Ad Astra i would rewatch Dark Pheonix any day of the week and that says something.

 

[antsman41]

Ahh, I needed a good laugh this morning.

 

[TheVileOne]

I ended up liking this a lot more than I expected to. It is a slow burn, but it's very interesting throughout and I thought they did an excellent job at world building. Solid B for me.

Liv Tyler just have had a ton of scenes cut. I recall her talking in the first trailer and she doesn't say a word in the film.

It was a total waste of her in that film. The only female character with some actual screentime was Ruth Negga.

The thing that bugs me is that the space travel tech all looked very archaic. However, they have somehow mastered laster blaster weapons.

 

[8ulk87]

Ahh, I needed a good laugh this morning.

Or maybe you need to check out Rotten Tomatoes.

Ad Astra at 42% audience score. The movie is not great. Deal with it and move on.

P.S. Even John "Mr every movie is good" Campea thinks its bad.

 

[:eek:]

Or maybe you need to check out Rotten Tomatoes.

Ad Astra at 42% audience score. The movie is not great. Deal with it and move on.

P.S. Even John "Mr every movie is good" Campea thinks its bad.

Meanwhile something like Venom has 80%, so I for one care even less about the audience score than the critics score.The masses just wants dumb action. That's nothing new.

 

[Hurm...]

This was a widely distributed science fiction movie featuring a mega star. General audiences did not expect an independent, slow burn, contemplative film. That is why there is such a low audience score.

As I was exiting the theatre, I heard a viewer saying they liked The Martian more than this film. That is a film with vastly different objectives in mind than this one. But that is the type of (false) expectations that audiences have in mind when going to watch a science fiction film with a wide release.

In my book, this was an excellent science fiction film with possibly Brad Pitt's finest performance. It challenges audiences with compelling philosophical questions, restrained photography and a minimalist score. Stylistically, this was not vastly different than James Gray's other pictures. His direction greatly contrasts what general audiences expect and often want out of a picture -- so they were caught by surprise when they sat in their seats and didn't get a sci-fi action epic.

 

[antsman41]

Well, one can’t truly trust a guy who’s opinion of Dark Phoenix is higher than an actual piece of art like Ad Astra.

 

[8ulk87]

Meanwhile something like Venom has 80%, so I for one care even less about the audience score than the critics score.The masses just wants dumb action. That's nothing new.

Except "dumb fun" is a quality as far as cinema go.
Boring isnt a quality anyone looks for at the movies.

A movie can be fun despite being flawed.

Id rather watch a dumb fun movie than a "good" BORING one. And Ad Astra isnt good. Its just okish.

RT scores arent perfect but they are quite indicative. A 100% critics - 100% audiences movie is a GREAT film and if a single person disliked it then they have bad taste.

Divisive scores are harder to analyze and tell who is right and who is wrong.

My opinion on Ad Astra is that audiences have it right. You dont have to agree.

To say RT scores dont matter is a bold statement.

There is a reason some movies get super scores across every single platform and some dont.

Venom is a fun enjoyable film hence the audiences score. You may not like it and think its bad but you cant argue its not fun.

 

[8ulk87]

Well, one can’t truly trust a guy who’s opinion of Dark Phoenix is higher than an actual piece of art like Ad Astra.

Actually i said "i would rather rewatch Dark Pheonix than Ad Astra".

There is a "Top films of 2019" thread. Ive rated Ad Astra higher than Dark Pheonix.

So you re wrong once again.

 

[Mysteryman]

Well, one can’t truly trust a guy who’s opinion of Dark Phoenix is higher than an actual piece of art like Ad Astra.

I actually like Both DP and Ad Astra.

 

[Mysteryman]

I can certainly understand why some people wouldn't like Ad Astra.
What I don't get are the comparisons to The Martian.
Two entirely different films.

 

[:eek:]

I can certainly understand why some people wouldn't like Ad Astra.
What I don't get are the comparisons to The Martian.
Two entirely different films.

Yeah, a strange comparison. The Martian is pretty much Robinson Crusoe on Mars.

 

[Dr.]

What I don't get are the comparisons to The Martian.
Two entirely different films.

I haven’t seen Ad Astra yet. But I assume its comparison to The Martian would be with respect to the realistic depiction of space travel. This is a sub-genre that also includes Apollo 13 and Gravity (at one end of the realism scale) and 2001 and Interstellar (at the other end).

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

AD Astra is more comparable to Interstellar than The Martian for me. Personally I found Interstellar the more enjoyable.

 

[Kane52630]

I definitely prefer Ad Astra over Interstellar... for one I can actually hear the dialogue clearly.

 

[TheVileOne]

Or maybe you need to check out Rotten Tomatoes.

Ad Astra at 42% audience score. The movie is not great. Deal with it and move on.

P.S. Even John "Mr every movie is good" Campea thinks its bad.

I don't judge my opinions on movies based on a Rotten Tomatoes audience score. Even the audience score is only based on 6,000 votes. Just like Cinema Score, it doesn't mean jack squat. It's a mild sampling at best.

Lion King has an audience score of 88 percent, and I thought the remake was awful. It's critic score was 53 percent. So a sampling of 153,000 generally liked it a lot. Critics didn't. Oh well.

 

[8ulk87]

I don't judge my opinions on movies based on a Rotten Tomatoes audience score. Even the audience score is only based on 6,000 votes. Just like Cinema Score, it doesn't mean jack squat. It's a mild sampling at best.

Lion King has an audience score of 88 percent, and I thought the remake was awful. It's critic score was 53 percent. So a sampling of 153,000 generally liked it a lot. Critics didn't. Oh well.

I dont form my opinions on what critics or audiences say either.

Im telling you the fact that audiences didnt like it. Nothing more or less.

I didnt like it either. The movie is problematic.

 

[DarkKnight88]

The true judge of a movie is time. Not saying this will be, but Vertigo was hated by audiences and critics at the time, it needed 20 years to become the classic that it's considered now.

 

[8ulk87]

The true judge of a movie is time. Not saying this will be, but Vertigo was hated by audiences and critics at the time, it needed 20 years to become the classic that it's considered now.

Thats true but it doesnt happen for most movies.

Plus if anything i think the reviews for this movie will get worse overtime due to its themes , deeper meanings and morals which for me were to my liking but the execution was bad imho.

Its a boring movie. I go to the cinemas to be entertained / have fun.
Can i appreciate this movie for what it is and/or for what it stands for ? Sure , but its still boring.

My suggestion to anyone who hasnt seen it yet. Skip the cinema & watch it on home video a night you have nothing else to do.

 

[MrWayne]

Thats true but it doesnt happen for most movies.

Plus if anything i think the reviews for this movie will get worse overtime due to its themes , deeper meanings and morals which for me were to my liking but the execution was bad imho.

Its a boring movie. I go to the cinemas to be entertained / have fun.
Can i appreciate this movie for what it is and/or for what it stands for ? Sure , but its still boring.

My suggestion to anyone who hasnt seen it yet. Skip the cinema & watch it on home video a night you have nothing else to do.

I'm sure I am in the minority, but I don't always go to the movies to be entertained in the same manner in which I think you are explaining.

There are movies I go see because I want to see what its about and hopefully it will give me food for thought. Things I can think about after I leave the theater.

That can be the themes explored, the cinematography down to the score. I find those to be just as entertaining and fun.

But I get what you mean, you were disappointed. I had some disappointments as well, but I still enjoyed this movie. Obviously many others did as well. ​