Outer space has never been captured quite as it has been in this year's latest sci-fi epic, "Ad Astra". This new film, which was released last Friday, stars Brad Pitt as astronaut Roy McBride, who sets off into the cosmos to find his lost father Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), a pioneer in space travel, and discover the truth behind a mysterious and powerful energy surge that could endanger all life on Earth.
I saw this yesterday and I still can't stop thinking about it. "Ad Astra" is in my top 3 favorite films this year so far, and quite possibly one of my all-time favorites of the sci-fi genre. It's THAT great. See it in theatres on the biggest screen possible. Trust me, you won't regret it.
Director James Gray ("The Lost City of Z", "The Immigrant") writes and directs this gripping interstellar drama, with jaw-dropping visuals and cinematography from Hoyte van Hoytema ("Interstellar", "Dunkirk") and a surreal, unforgettable score from composer Max Ritcher.
Brad Pitt gives a phenomenal, career-best performance as McBride. When we first meet him, he is a stone wall; void of any emotion or personal attachment, and focused solely on his job. Even after an incident involving the unknown power surge nearly kills him, he doesn't even seem to be phased. He can't even seem to connect with his wife Eve (Liv Tyler). But McBride's new mission is a very personal one, and his unseemingly fragile human emotions begin to break him during his journey, and he is forever changed. Pitt is so effortlessly great in this role, and he exuberates so much talent through his subtle, yet layered performance. I hope that he gains attention in this year's Oscars ceremony. He certainly deserves it.
"Ad Astra" compares the far reaches of outer space to the human soul: it is a vast, unforgiving and fragile thing, full of loneliness and despair, yet also beautiful and full of life. This film is a somber, haunting story about our humanity and relationships. And it is a story about finding our own place in the big, wide universe.
Rating: 5/5
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