Ad Astra

[Lasirius]

^ Agreed with this statement.

 

[8ulk87]

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. ​

Perhaps if i knew what the movie is i wouldnt have gone to the theater and waited to watch it at home. I wouldnt be disappointed then but would still feel its a lucklaster movie imho.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

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

Personally I would take both Interstellar and Sunshine over Ad Astra

 

[MrWayne]

Perhaps if i knew what the movie is i wouldnt have gone to the theater and waited to watch it at home. I wouldnt be disappointed then but would still feel its a lucklaster movie imho.

Yea I hear you totally... I actually thought this movie would be about one thing and it turned out to be something else. So while I was disappointed mainly because I've come to expect certain things from Sc-Fi movies these days, I still find myself thinking about this movie. Oddly and refreshingly.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Yea I hear you totally... I actually thought this movie would be about one thing and it turned out to be something else. So while I was disappointed mainly because I've come to expect certain things from Sc-Fi movies these days, I still find myself thinking about this movie. Oddly and refreshingly.

I would recommend not being disappointed solely on the basis of it not being the type of sci fi film you expect. Otherwise, you're limiting yourself to experiencing new types of sci fi movies that can enrich the genre for you. All art deserves to be judged on its own terms.

 

[terry78]

The movie makes you think and kinda says appreciate what's in front of you as opposed to the cliche "always be searching for the new."

 

[MrWayne]

I would recommend not being disappointed solely on the basis of it not being the type of sci fi film you expect. Otherwise, you're limiting yourself to experiencing new types of sci fi movies that can enrich the genre for you. All art deserves to be judged on its own terms.

That was actually my point.

 

[Doctor Jones]

That was actually my point.

I see. I thought you meant you hadn't fully decided what you thought and were still thinking about it.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

The movie makes you think and kinda says appreciate what's in front of you as opposed to the cliche "always be searching for the new."

Yeah I got that, but for me the movie ends with a whimper.

Spoiler

He kills the whole crew of the rocket he takes to Neptune, and suffers no consequences? Also, he goes to save his Dad and fails miserably, they could have just shot that space station from the sky and saved all of the efforts made. I enjoyed the movie up until the ending, but it made everything else that happened feel pointless for me.

 

[Asr]

^ Spoiler tag alert.

I saw the movie last night and while it wasn't really what I was expecting (and yes I knew it was a "drama" going in), I appreciated a lot about it and thought it was very well-crafted. The only thing that particularly bothered me with it was hearing Brad Pitt's character near-constant inner monologue that made the movie border on over-philosophical to me. It got pretty annoying after a while.

Other than that, I thought the movie was otherwise very well-done, and there were lots of times where I felt like this might even end up reaching cult status at some point because of how well-done it was. The "world-building" in space on other planets was done very convincingly, and it was gratifying to see that the film's sci-fi elements stuck to being as believable & realistic as possible, and made the effort to adhere to sticking to known laws of gravity as well (in the scenes whenever Brad Pitt was in his spacesuit). Loved the musical score too, it was exceptionally & artfully done throughout.

In terms of just tone, this movie was definitely similar to First Man from last year—it was a similar sort of contemplative character-based drama set in space. I wouldn't call it very similar to The Martian or Interstellar, although I can see some parallels with Interstellar. The plot & overall world-building made this a pretty unique movie—it was basically confined to our known solar system and set in a relatively near future that might realistically be achievable within the next 100 years or so (potentially), and featured very believable technology within the limitations of actually known present-day science. Sort of like The Martian in that sense, but Ad Astra projected just a bit further into the future by showing colonies on other planets and actual space blaster guns.

The particular combination of the film's world-building, depiction of space travel, colonization, & technology, and musical score all struck me as being especially well-done and IMO could contribute to making it a cult favorite for sci-fi space nerds eventually.

 

[terry78]

It does kinda make you feel alone in a sense also due to how it kinda subverts the sci-fi travel tropes most flicks are known for regarding other life out there.

 

[flickchick85]

Yeah I got that, but for me the movie ends with a whimper. He kills the whole crew of the rocket he takes to Neptune, and suffers no consequences?

Spoiler

He literally saved the solar system. We saw Space Com was willing to sweep mass murder under the rug for a lot less than that. I would've been surprised if they DIDN'T in this instance. Much easier to make him a hero, which he kinda was. Those deaths were indeed his fault, but accidental, and like he said, the flight recorder would tell the story, and history would judge.

Also, he goes to save his Dad and fails miserably, they could have just shot that space station from the sky and saved all of the efforts made.

They addressed this early on - saying they couldn't locate Project Lima and couldn't even confirm it was still around, until they got out there to it.

Spoiler

That's why they wanted Roy to send out a message in a bottle, so to speak, just to get that confirmation before sending a team out there to find and destroy it. Ruth Negga's character called the mission a "search and destroy," meaning they still had to find it once they got out there. Seemed pretty easy to find once Roy got in range, though.

Gotta say, I loved this movie, and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I think aside from being a story about fathers and sons, it also explored themes of masculinity in a thoughtful way, and the ending was most satisfying on that front, imo.

 

[antsman41]

Yeah I got that, but for me the movie ends with a whimper.

Spoiler

He kills the whole crew of the rocket he takes to Neptune, and suffers no consequences? Also, he goes to save his Dad and fails miserably, they could have just shot that space station from the sky and saved all of the efforts made. I enjoyed the movie up until the ending, but it made everything else that happened feel pointless for me.

Um, he acted in defense... he shouldn't be in trouble. He stated his plan, then recorded their actions. The scene spoke for itself.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Um, he acted in defense... he shouldn't be in trouble. He stated his plan, then recorded their actions. The scene spoke for itself.

Spoiler: Spoiler

He illegally climbed onto a ship he was specifically told he wasn't aloud to be on and killed all of the crew. Sure it was an accident but the crew were acting in self defence trying to subdue him

.

 

[MrWayne]

Spoiler: Spoiler

He illegally climbed onto a ship he was specifically told he wasn't aloud to be on and killed all of the crew. Sure it was an accident but the crew were acting in self defence trying to subdue him

.

Yet the whole reason he was there to begin with was because he was trying to finish his "mission" that the government had sent him on.

 

[antsman41]

Yet the whole reason he was there to begin with was because he was trying to finish his "mission" that the government had sent him on.

THIS.

 

[MrWayne]

Honestly... Lets just be happy the movie wasn't horrible and getting raked over the coals by critics.

Sure it has some areas that could have used some tightening... But there is more to like/love about this film than dislike/hate.

And the more of these movies that do well, the more that will get made... That's a win for Sci-Fi in my book.

 

[Schlosser85]

Ad Astra

Among space movies, more in the vein of Interstellar than The Martian, same deliberate elegiac pace and some similar themes about parents and children. Great visuals and some interesting worldbuilding bits (my favorite part was his trip to the moon and the vaguely Fury Road-esque chase with the pirates). Pitt’s dreary narration was heavy handed and unnecessary IMO. Pitt’s performance is serviceable (it’s a stoic closed off emotionally withdrawn character) and Ruth Negga and Tommy Lee Jones made impressions in probably five minutes of screentime each. I thought the climax and resolution was a bit underwhelming and “is that all?” for all the buildup to it. What it’s really about is father’s and sons and “tough guys” getting in touch with their emotions, with the movie as a sort of vehicle for exploring those themes. Overall it was pretty interesting but felt like it was lacking a certain something.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

I thoroughly enjoyed this as well, but the visuals are easily the best parts about it IMO. So many drop dead gorgeous shots in this and there were definitely some brief yet still very tense sequences in it as well. The sequence at the beginning, and the chase with the Moon Pirates were pretty damn cool and I loved how James Gray directed those sequences with as little sound as possible, as well as those kinetic POV camera angles. It's such a shame though that I could never really get invested in Brad Pitts character though which makes the slower parts of this movie feel kind of dull honestly. Now, I wouldn't say I found it as boring as most people have said, but I can see exactly where there coming from.

As much as people complained about Ryan Gosling not emoting enough in First Man I really found Pitt to be pretty damn monotone in this even in the scenes where he is showing emotion. The Liv Tyler subplot felt super unnecessary and I can't say TLJ was used that much better since his role seemed more like an afterthought than anything else. I can appreciate the more nuanced approach Gray took with this though, and I also can't wait to see what the guy does next.

 

[TheVileOne]

The Liv Tyler subplot was under-developed and felt pointless.

I was fine with Pitt's performance but, I think the movie needed a more focused plot. Like what was the point of the space pirate stuff? They never revisited that at all. Or the thing with the derelict space station. Too many narrative red herrings IMO.

 

[MadVillainy]

The Liv Tyler subplot was under-developed and felt pointless.

I was fine with Pitt's performance but, I think the movie needed a more focused plot. Like what was the point of the space pirate stuff? They never revisited that at all. Or the thing with the derelict space station. Too many narrative red herrings IMO.

Because those aren't the point of the story? It's like an adventure movie. Not every thing that happens in adventure movies necessarily lead back to the main plot.

 

[TheVileOne]

Because those aren't the point of the story? It's like an adventure movie. Not every thing that happens in adventure movies necessarily lead back to the main plot.

I dunno, they sort of stuck out a lot more than a typical adventure movie.

 

[Doctor Jones]

It's just part of the tasks one goes on along the way to achieve their goal. Plus you're dealing with outer space, so things are more interspersed with stranger things. It's similar to The Odyssey. I mean, what did the sirens and the cyclops have to do with coming back into the plot. That wasn't the point, they were challenges thrown in his way to prevent him from Odysseous's goal.

Same with Apocalypse Now. Kilgore didn't have anything to do with Kurtz other than standing in their way from getting to the next part of their journey.

 

[Marvolo]

This was an extremely strange movie. The story was nothing special or strange, but the way the characters behaved and the way Spacecom operated was like some kind fascist cult.

 

[HKpowerup]

An enjoyable movie. The world created, where humanity has colonised the inner solar system and commercial space travel is the norm, was fascinating. The father/son drama didn't hit all the right notes as some parts dragged and felt like filler. But overall a good movie. The visuals and soundtrack get a thumbs up from me.