“Ad Astra” Lights Up the Meaning of Life

Release Date：Sep/20/2019
Genre：Adventure/Drama/Mystery
Director：James Gray
Cast：Brad Pitt、Liv Tyler、Tommy Lee Jones、Donald Sutherland

Viola's Rating：7.7



Following the charming but sad stuntman in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”, Brad Pitt once again charms the audience with his own charisma in his latest feature film “Ad Astra” in 2019. Pitt has transformed from the poster boy on the big screen to the heavy weighted producer behind the scene in recent years, but in “Ad Astra”, he not only produced, but also acted as someone who’s suffering from broken marriage just like himself enduring the pain after divorcing Jolie.

Having its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, this adventurous, mysterious drama is depicted as an “Interstellar” meets “The Martian” story. The plot is mainly about the astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) undertaking a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.

Some may be deceived by the sci-fi ambiance “Ad Astra” provides, but actually the space is merely the backdrop of the story. Similar to “Blade Runner 2049”, emotion is one of the main themes in the film. In “Blade Runner 2049”, we see that every clone police officer needs to take an examination to measure whether they’re stable or not before their shifts, and in “Ad Astra”, moviegoers take the pressure detection with Roy while his emotion fluctuates as he gets closer to Neptune, the destination of his mission.

Roy’s father’s mission was to explore life forms in the solar system, but what “Ad Astra” presents to the audience is the beauty of everything in front of us. The texture of the flick is different as well. “Ad Astra” was shot on film, so the layers of details can be felt while watching. According to director James Gray, this immersive shooting experience is like “brushstrokes on a canvas”, which leads moviegoers to an amazing expedition.

As the protagonist of the motion picture, Roy guides the audience through the adventure with first-person narrative. This not only gives Pitt a chance to demonstrate his magnetic, sexy voice, but also provides a more intimate relationship between the character and moviegoers. Throughout the journey, we can feel Roy’s growth from the minute alters in his words, and eventually, everything pays off and brings a smile to our faces.

“Ad Astra” may not be one of the best movies in 2019, and it might seem a little bit slow for those who think they’re going to the theater for a sci-fi picture, but the food for thought it brings will definitely provoke us to ponder over the meaning of life. With a rather small number of cast, the loneliness of the main character is obvious, and how that develops into a touching story is what “Ad Astra” has to offer.

Picture Credit: IMDb