Ad Astra (2019) Director: James Gray Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland, Donnie Keshawarz, Sean Blakemore
Certificate: 12A Running Time: 124 Minutes
Tagline: "The Answers We Seek Are Just Outside Our Reach"
It's a good time right now to be a sci-fi fan. There are several great TV shows on the go and high-profile films seem to be popping up more regularly than I can last remember. One particular example I've been waiting patiently-but-eagerly for is Ad Astra. It's an original story written by director James Gray along with Ethan Gross and is set in our planet's near future. It's a time when we've developed sufficiently advanced technology, in particular a new propulsion type, to have explored and colonised our solar system, but no further. The existence of alien life is still a question that remains unanswered and one man in particular is obsessed with finding an answer - famed astronaut H. Clifford McBride (Jones) who, 29 years prior to the events of the film, is sent by SpaceCom (U.S. Space Command) to Neptune in command of the Lima Project with the job of finding out if anyone else is out there.
At work on the vast International Space Antenna...
Unfortunately for us gibbering oafs back on our pale blue dot, contact with McBride and the Lima Project is suddenly lost after 13 years of research. The first McBride we meet is Clifford's son Roy (Pitt), himself a well-regarded astronaut, but also known as son of a legend who gave his life for the good of mankind 16 years earlier. Roy is always calm and measured under pressure - a quality that goes well with his line of work - but when he is nearly killed in an accident caused by one of several mysterious energy surges, SpaceCom decides it needs his help. It's at this point they decide to let him know that his father may have actually been alive all these years after all, and still working on the Lima Project out near Neptune. Which also happens to be the general direction the energy surges are coming from.
On board the Cepheus bound for Mars...
The reason for SpaceCom's sudden confession is that they want Roy to travel to Mars to attempt to establish communications with him in the hopes of finding the cause of the surges and ending the threat. Naturally with a premise this simple, things aren't quite as straightforward as hoped, with complications and secrets causing problems for both parties, but this was always intended as a much more personal film. There are some action scenes, even some shooting, but the emphasis is firmly on Roy and the bond he shares with his possibly-still-alive-after-all father. As we learn early on, as well as being calm under pressure, Roy is quiet, withdrawn and even seems emotionally-detached at times. Considering he's in every scene of the film, this obviously means Pitt needed to be on top of his game to keep our interest levels up.
Departing the Moon on board the Cepheus...
Fortunately, he is in top form with an understated but thoroughly absorbing performance. Roy's character is a solitary one for the most part. Besides (possibly) his father, he has no family. His wife left him, partly due to his frequent absences, but more because of his distance when he was there. His internal monologue (or narration) often talks of his emotional state, makes observations and reflects on his past. There's something about his solitude that really speaks to me. I can't decide if I'm envious or not but I can certainly understand and appreciate it in any case. It's a rather quiet film generally, too. There isn't a huge amount of dialogue and the excellent soundtrack mostly consists of ambient, often haunting music that encourages a bit of reflection on the viewer's part as well.
Pruitt (Sutherland) and Levant (Blakemore)...
Complimenting this are some of the finest cinematography and special effects I've seen for years. The odd lingering close-ups help in the more poignant moments but it's the epic distant shots that really impress, whether planetside or beyond the reach of atmospheres. We actually get both at once with the opening shots of the immense International Space Antenna (a vast structure that extends from ground level to the very edge of space), but there are stunning shots from all over the solar system. The outer planets look as amazing as you would expect, especially the ultramarine Neptune (complete with ring system), and the more detailed looks at Mars and the Moon provide a fascinating look at not only the bodies themselves but also how bases there might look for real in the next hundred years or so.
Heading for the Cepheus's launchpad on Mars...
The attention to detail in the non-earthbound scenes is superb too, and the science is mostly accurate as far as I can tell. Of course, it's quite possible that this stuff will appeal much more to those with an interest in the subject matter like me, but it really is a beautiful film regardless. Many will consider it a bit too slow, perhaps a little subdued, but sci-fi fans with a genuine interest in space and a realistic portrayal of the early stages of its exploration will be mesmerised by Ad Astra (Latin for 'to the stars' in case you didn't know). Not everyone will like it of course, and there are areas that could've been improved (some of the tech looks outdated even now, for example), but most of the criticism I've seen has shown that the reviewers in question haven't even watched the film properly.
These luna rovers look like they're from the Apollo era...
Many question why Roy has to go to Mars to send his message, for example, but the reason is given quite clearly in one of the film's earliest scenes. This type of thing is irritating but I guess it's just because I like the film (as you may have guessed). It's outstanding technically, the premise/story, slight though it might be, is very compelling, and the performances are excellent. Pitt is obviously the main man here but his support, including Jones as Roy's father, Sutherland as an old colleague of his, Blakemore as Roy's military escort on the Moon, and Negga as the facility director on Mars, are all great too. It's rare that a film actually exceeds my expectations these days, especially a sci-fi film, but I love every minute of this one. You probably won't be quite so enamoured but you've got to give it a try.
No comments:
Post a Comment