Ad Astra is Literally Out of This World

Ad Astra (2019)

Ad Astra was a weird movie. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t good. Ad Astra is a slow-paced trek from Earth to the farthest reaches of our solar system with a single plot through-line and very little action. The movie is absolutely gorgeous, with crisp visuals and beautiful cinematography that uses light and color to accent each scene to great effect. The visuals are the best part of the movie. The actors perform well and deliver their lines believably, but they all feel distant. There are no interpersonal relationships developed in the entire movie, and when one starts, circumstances change to separate Brad Pitt from that new character. Besides Pitt, nobody is in the movie for more than 15 minutes. This makes it difficult to connect to the movie because Pitt’s character is a great astronaut because of his isolationist attitude. Watching Ad Astra was like chasing a butterfly. It is really nice to look at, but it isn’t really worth the effort. There were only four moments of tension, each lasting less than a minute, which is not enough to warrant a re-watch, or even a recommendation. Ad Astra was an effort in mediocrity. I give Ad Astra 1 billion kilometers of the 2.6 billion kilometers from here to Uranus.