Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
The near future, a time when both hope and hardships drive humanity to look to the stars and beyond. While a mysterious phenomenon menaces to destroy life on planet Earth, astronaut Roy McBride undertakes a mission across the immensity of space and its many perils to uncover the truth about a lost expedition that decades before boldly faced emptiness and silence in search of the unknown.
Ad Astra is a visually stunning slow-burn science fiction film with genuinely exceptional cinematography — Hoyte van Hoytema's images of space are hauntingly beautiful and among the best of the decade. Brad Pitt delivers a restrained, internalized performance that works for the character but leaves the film emotionally distant; supporting roles are underdeveloped. The plot is ambitious in its meditative, Apocalypse Now-in-space ambition but falters in execution, with pacing issues and action sequences (the lunar rover chase) that feel tonally inconsistent. Novelty is moderate — the introspective psychological journey in space has precedents (2001, Gravity, Interstellar) and Ad Astra doesn't fully distinguish itself despite a distinctive quietness. The ending is the weakest element: Roy's reconciliation with life and connection feels unearned given how little emotional groundwork was laid, and the resolution of the father-son conflict is abrupt and thematically thin.