![Review: Ad Astra [2019]](https://geekteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ad-astra-poster-review-2019-brad-pitt-809x455.jpg)
I was very pleasantly surprised by “Ad Astra”. Before going in, I read reviews and opinions that said it was too slow or slightly philosophical, so I wasn’t expecting it to be amazing. It really proved me wrong. “Ad Astra” is one of the best space movies I’ve ever seen, with amazing visuals, great acting and a compelling storyline.
The plot follows Brad Pitt’s character, a stoic, near-perfect astronaut. His (lonely) life suddenly changes when he finds out his father, a fellow astronaut, the one who disappeared near Neptune 20 years ago, is actually alive. And his task is to go to Mars and try to communicate with him. From there on, the action moves rather quickly and you are kept on your seat most of the time. There are, indeed, some slow moments in the last part, where Pitt talks about his father, his life, and takes some hard decisions. But overall, “Ad Astra” is very well paced.
Acting-wise, Brad is a force of nature. At first, his calm and composed demeanor reminds me of Jesse James (and is similar to his real-life character), but as the film progresses, he becomes frantic and loses his cool. By the end, he shows a wide range of emotions and carries the movie like a pro.
Visually, it’s stunning. I can’t even describe the cinematography, especially the use of color. It makes you fall in love with space and appreciate it even more. It also makes feel like a pebble in a gigantic world. The directing was very good, especially capturing Pitt’s range of emotion and showcasing the magnitude of space. I knew of James Gray because of “Lost city of Z”, and that one was a bit of a bore, so I was pleasantly surprised by this one, he did a great job.
Props to the screenwriters for creating such a fascinating, yet real world. The action takes place sometime in the future, where we travel to the moon commercially and have stations on more than one planet, including Mars. You might think this is crazy, but they make it seem very real and possible.
As you can see, I fell in love with “Ad Astra”. My boyfriend loved it, too. I highly recommend you watch it, especially in cinema, it will make the experience better.
p.s. Will it be part of the awards season? I think it should, but it probably won’t.
Great review and so glad to read Brad gets to show emotions here, he looked a bit stoic in trailers. I will catch it on DVD tho, someone described it as Tree of Life in space so I am risking slipping into a coma here
:)) It’s not Tree of Life, trust me. With the exception of 1-2 scenes, everything is fast paced. But you do you, at home is fine, too
Great review! I fell about where you did, I didn’t think I’d like this that much and I really ended up enjoying it. I thought it was an interesting story
Yey, I’m glad you felt the same way. The story was great, it was more entertaining than I thought
Great review! I didn’t love Ad Astra but I can’t complain about the cinematography. Those scenes on the moon were absolutely stunning <3
I’m hoping to finally see this over the weekend! This one being slow doesn’t even bother me at least I’m looking at Brad Pitt while it’s slow 🙂 Glad you liked it.
Definitely go see it, you will enjoy it! thanks for dropping by!
Nice review! I’ve sorta stayed away from reading about Ad Astra because I wanted to see it with a fresh mind. I’m surprised by the wide spectrum of positive and negative reviews it’s received. Brad Pitt in space is enough for me. lol Hope to check it out soon!
Ha ha, that’s what I said before going in: “Brad Pitt and space? say no more, I’m in!” 🙂