A Cerebral, Visually Stunning Adventure.

Kaleidoscope's latest is on New Regency's, 20th Century Fox's, & Plan B Entertainment's production of "Ad Astra".  Directed by James Gray, the movie stars Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, Ruth Negga, & Liv Tyler.  Rated 'PG-13', it has a running time of 2 hr., 3 min. 

Sometime in the future, the Earth is struck by severe, worldwide power surges.  Based on the evidence, this could be an ELE (extinction level event).  Having survived an incident, caused by the surges, on the World Communication Tower (which extends miles into space), Major Roy McBride (Pitt), the son of world-famous astronaut H. Clifford McBride (Jones), has been enlisted by United States Space Command to investigate these surges.  When he asks why, the powers-that-be inform him that the surges can be traced back to the Lima Project, a project created to explore the deepest reaches of the solar system for intelligent life; the project was led by Roy's father.  Although nothing has been heard from Clifford in 16 years since the Project reached Neptune, it is believed that he may still be alive.  Roy accepts the mission to travel to the Moon & then to Mars, accompanied by Colonel Thomas Pruitt (Sutherland).  From there they will attempt to go to Neptune & the Project. 

Director James Gray’s and co-screenwriter Ethan Gross’s Hollywood sci-fi film is decidedly a non-Hollywood film and that is meant in a good way.  This is a cerebral movie that is filled with beautiful images that are alternately wide in expanse and those of an intense, personal nature.  It is a film that might have been shuffled off either to the straight-to-video bin or doomed to a quick theatrical release if it were not for the star power of Brad Pitt & the involvement by his production company, Plan B.  As I used to explain to the students in my high school Film Studies class, “Brad Pitt is an exceptional character actor ‘trapped’ inside a leading man’s face & body”.  His career is filled with non-glamorous character portrayals even while being the film’s star.  The movie’s title “Ad Astra” is from the Latin expression ‘sic etu ad astra’, first attributed to the Roman poet Virgil, meaning ‘thus one journeys to the stars’.  The film, therefore, is structurally & thematically about 2 journeys:  Roy’s physical journey to Neptune in search of his father and Roy’s personal journey to discover himself.  The screenplay is a literary one; almost half of the dialogue is Roy’s internal monologue through a voice-over.  Thematically, the film operates on several concurrent quest levels—in search of self; in search of the truth about one’s parents, how & why the hero of one’s youth may not live up to that ideal when one is an adult; in search of the validity of man’s obsession with the stars; in search of personal redemption.  These themes are also seen in Joseph Conrad’s novel “Heart of Darkness”, a work of literature that would seem to have been an inspiration to Gray & Gross.  Indeed, there are direct parallels between Roy/Marlow and Clifford/Kurtz.  The movie can have a static quality during these internal moments of reflection.  Hang in there; the thematic aural & visual qualities make it all worthwhile.   Pitt is masterful as conflicted Roy.  He displays a multitude of emotions through the subtlest of expressions.  One feels these internal conflicts as they mount & are increasingly dealt with by Roy as he approaches the truth in his odyssey into his own & Clifford’s heart of darkness.  Jones is also very effective as Clifford.  He is particularly good & acerbic in a pivotal moment when he completely exposes his dark heart to son/man Roy.  This revelation pierces the viewer’s heart, as well.  The others in the cast, while fine, merely play ‘types’ against which Roy’s character acts & reacts.  Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography is stunning, visually moving & sumptuous, providing a terrific sense of verisimilitude in regard to space travel.  His photography also is a beautiful complement to the screenplay’s nuances.  Max Richter’s score wonderfully underscores the film’s characterizations, themes, & moods.  Special mention is given to the art, production, & visual effects departments for the film's superior look.

I give “Ad Astra” 9 out of 10 nuggets.  If you are looking for an experience that is decidedly different from most of what is or will be in theaters, if you are willing to expose your heart to the depth & richness of this film, head to your nearest cineplex asap!