Ad Astra

[HKpowerup]

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.

Agree with you, the moon chase scene was very well executed, particularly when you could see the pirates slowly creeping up on them from the distance. It was tension-filled.

 

[The Shape]

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.

Saw this last night finally and agree with this sentiment. Really appreciated the world building and enjoyed the film as a whole. Interesting way to tell a story about a son seeking out the father who abandoned him.

 

[Dr.]

Finally got a chance to see this.

Unfortunately, the character arcs, drama and themes didn’t do much for me. Though… perhaps I’m just too dumb to appreciate the artistry and nuance.

However, the bigger issue (for me) was the wonky science — stuff that was either contrary to physics or contrary to common sense. So instead of focusing on the main plot (such as it was), I was continually distracted by the technical errors.

Now, “expectation” is an interesting thing. Had this been a science-fantasy tale, I’d judge it according to an entirely different standard. (With Star Trek, for example, the fanciful transporters are part of the package.) But Ad Astra was represented as a more realistic/hard sci-fi movie. And in some respects, it actually delivered on this promise. Which made the “dumb science” in it all the more conspicuous.