By Vincent Abbatecola
In 2017, writer-director James Gray brought us one of the best films of that year with his adventure drama, “The Lost City of Z,” in which he told the true story of an expedition into what used to be uncharted lands. In this film, he showed how thrilling and emotionally powerful the act of exploring can be. How appropriate it is that he now moves to exploring outer space for his latest movie.
He achieves this to great lengths with his new film, “Ad Astra,” which may be one of the deepest and most human science-fiction movies that I’ve ever seen.
The story follows an astronaut, Roy McBride (Brad Pitt), who ventures into space to locate his missing father, H. Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones), whose experiment places the solar system in jeopardy.
Pitt has had many fantastic roles over his iconic career, but this one is destined to go down as a top performance. Pitt’s character provides a lot of voiceover narration, which is a perfect aspect for Roy. His character has the persona of someone who prefers to be solitary, to be alone with his thoughts and personal longings. He’s always thinking about something and is trapped inside his head, and Pitt’s emotiveness allows you to see what he’s thinking. Pitt shows what Roy has on his mind, and that’s to get his father back and make up for the time that has been lost between them. It’s one of the most emotional performances that you’ll see this year, and it will captivate you as you experience the depthless love that Roy has for his father and the unending drive to find him.
The movie has some fine supporting performances from Ruth Negga and Donald Sutherland, but the one that must be talked about is the work from Jones. In just a couple of scenes, he manages to present the emotional and psychological toll that his obsession with finding extraterrestrial life has had on him, showing an eerie calmness as we see a broken-down man who has the look in his eyes of someone who has only had one goal in his life for years. Jones downplays this anguish, but you feel every bit of the fractured mentality that has been placed upon him, and he provides just as much strength with his role as Pitt does with his.
The screenplay by Gray and Ethan Gross constructs a story around a message that may seem simple on the surface, but it’s brought to life by such passionate characters that there’s an invigoration to it that gives it a whole new life. This is a story about a son taking on arduous tasks to reach his father, showing him traveling across space and putting himself through dangerous scenarios to gain back what he’s lost, and the theme of this movie carries a universality that is sure to engage you. The narrative takes place on a grand scale, but is an intimate story that has the ability to resonate with and immerse any viewers who find themselves going on this haunting and beautiful journey.
A fascinating aspect of this story is how it can be a companion piece to “The Lost City Of Z” because of how both movies deal with characters who become obsessed with the prospect of discovery, be it for better or worse. Both narratives also deal with the effects on the loved ones who are left behind, and how those loved ones feel about being separated from those who are away, showing how the connections between the explorers and their families can remain strong, even in the face of impossible distances.
Hoyte van Hoytema provides the cinematography, and seeing how he did so for Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi film, “Interstellar,” it couldn’t be more evident as to why Gray chose him for the job. Hoytema presents the cosmos in such a way that captures the gorgeousness and solemnity of space, aspects that are paired to magnificent effect with Max Richter’s ethereal score. The vastness of outer space that’s presented emphasizes the commitment that Roy shows in traveling far to locate his father, and Hoytema’s imagery helps bring to realization an odyssey that’s both intimidating and life-affirming.
The movie may feel slow-moving at times, but that pace is necessary because it allows you to become absorbed in Roy’s arc little by little as you begin to understand how much it means for him to reach his father. The leisurely pace also provides an opportunity for the film to lay out the details of the narrative’s futuristic setting. As an example of the effectiveness in taking time to establish characters and backdrops, this movie is one to be commended.
In between the drama, Gray knows how to deliver a heart-stopping special-effects set piece. While a lunar-rover chase across the moon’s surface proves to be exciting, you’ll find yourself holding your breath in an early scene that takes place on a towering space antenna that pierces the sky. The heights that are presented at which you see these characters is enough to rattle your nerves, and when you see Pitt’s character falling from daunting heights, you will grab your armrests for security as you watch the ground get closer and closer.
“Ad Astra” is an epic and unforgettable expedition about the human need to connect with others, and for Gray, his cast, and the rest of his team to accomplish what they did for this film, you can see that the stars aligned.
Grade: A