The reviews for Ad Astra are largely positive and I’ve gotta tell you, it leaves me pondering if there is something wrong with me.
Ad Astra is a science fiction action film starring Brad Pitt as astronaut Roy McBride who goes into space to search for his father Clifford – until now assumed by Roy to be dead – who was also an astronaut. Despite being publicly considered a space hero, Clifford is now thought to be up to some dodgy stuff – sabotaging human life on earth, that kind of thing - from Neptune.
Set in the not-too-distant future when solar system exploration is much more common and pirates roam it with guns, Ad Astra is clearly a film for people who love sci-fi and fantasy and that ain’t me. Now, I do see lots of films for this blog that are not the kind I typically enjoy. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised and reminded I ought to keep an open mind but other times I’m left shrugging my shoulders and this time my shoulders were working overtime.
I thought Ad Astra was a bit of a snooze-fest to be honest. Brad Pitt’s performance left me a bit underwhelmed. I think it’s because the character he was playing was a super cool & mellow guy and he just really went so hard on the low-key mellow vibe that I found it a bit dull. The film runs for two hours and the first hour needed to be shaved in half if you ask me. Not all long films feel long but this one sure did.
In the interests of balance and if you want more detailed info about the story, check out this four star review in The Guardian. If you’d like confirmation I’m not the only one who thought it was pretty ordinary, check out this less complimentary review from the ABC.
Ad Astra is rated M and in cinemas now. Trailer here.