MOVIE REVIEW
Ad Astra (2019)
In a time of action filled blockbusters, this slow burn of a movie felt very fresh. And when I mean slow, I really do mean slow. In terms of action, there is not a lot. So it might not appeal to everyone. But this movie is about space. And space travel is very slow, and that is reflected in the movie. Scenes are long. Some would say boring, but it works so well. A lot of that is thanks to the incredible actor that is Brad Pitt. He commands the screen. If it wasn’t him, I know I wouldn’t have liked this movie as much. And I can’t really think of anyone else that could do so, when they have no one to play off of. We find out early on, that his character is very stable, stable pulse and all that, but throughout the film, he goes through an arc that really makes him a sympathetic character by the end of the movie. He’s a little one dimensional at the beginning, but due to how personal and intimate this movie is, you really root for him by the end and feel his every emotion. I don’t know if it will get him an Oscar nomination, but it’s possible. And speaking of directing, James Gray is able to capture the feeling of being alone very well. Take that and put it together with this supposed realism of how space travel is portrayed, the slow burn that this movie is really comes into play. But some of the shots in this movie. Wow. It’s up there with Interstellar in terms of cinematography. With one of the first shots of the movie, you already get the feeling of the vast emptiness of space. And (Very Slight Spoiler) when Roy falls from the Space Antenna, it’s a beautifully captured moment in the film. But some of the shots with a certain blue planet and a red planet are truly moments of “every frame a painting”. It might have the best cinematography of the year. That is one category for the end of year Luk Awards. Would I recommend this? If you thought Interstellar was good, then definitely. It’s a lot slower, but a pretty great space movie. Definitely see this in cinema, as opposed to a far smaller screen It’s a great movie for a great theatre experience. Especially with the way silence is used throughout.
8.7/10