BLUF—”Ad Astra” is not an ultra action-filled space film. This is one for the photography nuts, the technical specification-heavy nerds, the folk who enjoy a minimalist screenplay and subtle, emotion-driven dialogue.
Brad Pitt—never thought of him as a nuanced actor, but as of late he’s seemed to grow out of the heartthrob acting shtick from his 1990s/early-2000s career. Something about this film changed my mind about his acting talent. It was subtle, and it was effective. His production company, Plan B Productions, has been outchea green-lighting films written, directed by, and starring talents of color, including “The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019),” “If Beale Street Could Talk (2018),” “Moonlight (2016),” “Selma (2014),” to name a few, some of which became fixtures during awards season over the past decade. While this is not entirely relevant to the point, I say all this to say that Pitt is more than a heartthrob, or box office draw, and successful producer. He’s actually a more than adequate actor.
I wouldn’t be shocked if he received say a Golden Globe nomination for this one, but like if they “missed” him for the Academy Awards I wouldn’t be hot about it. It’s a little too early to know what the cadre of contenders will look like this year. Lately lead acting noms haven’t been so competitive, there’s usually a clear winner; it’s usually the Best Supporting categories that seem to be contentious.
I’d also wouldn’t be surprised if Tommy Lee Jones received a supporting nom for this. His brief moments on screen were compelling and unnerving. Dawg, to think, the last time I saw TLJ in a space-themed anything was when he was fighting aliens to save the planet alongside Willard Smith, and in this one…well… (no spoilers).
Tech Specs—”Ad Astra” will probably sweep the tech spec categories (see below) come awards season, including: sound editing, special visual effects, film editing, sound mixing, and maybe cinematography (strong maybe).
A Best Picture nom is probable, depends on what else comes out. The academies love a glitzy space-themed film. And a thriller on top of that! Shiiiiiiiiiid. But also, yes to production design, and maybe not for costume design.
Space nerds unite—this film is one of those galactic space fantasies that I always wished someone would produce and I’m so glad this one was so well done! Some parts of the setting felt like a near-real future (perhaps not in my lifetime, but still), especially given President Trump’s administration’s recent announcement of the U.S. Space Command. Can you imagine a world where trips to the moon are just another vacation stop and moon terminals looks like a D.C. metro station??! EFFING INSANE.
I’d call home about this film, but only to a few people. Like the people I know who aren’t looking for Apollo 13-level drama. Just some good ol’ fashioned SFX, some good ol’ fashioned acting and WHAM!, basically a contemporary film. If this film, like generations from now, is preserved in the National Library of Congress’ Film Registry for cultural relevance or its aesthetic that also wouldn’t surprise me.
The supporting cast—Didn’t do much, but were effective in their roles. Don Sutherland (the god) is a dutiful actor who is like that quintessential old white male character who is always able to give a few good lines with vigor, give a few strong looks, and then bow out gracefully. Love it, and I appreciate his craft.
Ruth Negga was cute and is so interesting to look at. I loved seeing her. (Miss you sis, wish I could see you more sis!) SN: can’t wait until “Passing” comes out co-starring Tessa Thompson!
Kimberly Elise with the bit role was lit-ting-ton! What nice surprise! Shouts to the casting director for the balance. ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿 **respect knuckles**
Brad killed this though. I sat in the theater for a minute, teared up, and thought about my own relationship with my father at the end. I wonder from where in his psyche he pulled from for this performance because it just felt different, like there was catharsis. Like was there something from his personal relationship with his parents, or maybe his position as a father, that fueled the mission-driven nature of this film? It felt like each obstacle his character went through was an ultimate test for everything he’d done, known, lived, or trained for throughout his entire life sans a father figure. Like the decision to trust Don Sutherland’s character, to trust Ruth Negga’s character, to trust his instincts about the Lima project, and ultimately give a middle finger to authority in order to see his father again—where did that performance come from? The psychological test on his journey to Neptune. Throughout all the flashbacks and mental check-ins, he finally got to the end of the road and when it seemed like the moment to give up, he recharged and kept it movin’. The plot structure, and I could be wrong, felt like:
Rising action—Traditional introduction—Second rising action————Climax—Third rising action———————Second climax——Falling action————Conclusion
Following the second climax, my gut felt connected to Roy McBride. When an actor can evoke an emotional reaction from their audience, positive or negative, I think that’s effective art. They’re transformed the medium into something to yearn for, like cooked food. If the art doesn’t make me feel anything, then it isn’t anything to me or for me.
One last thing—I’m not an aspect ratio fiend, but I wonder if this film wouldn’t been absorbed differently if it was shot using a more than one aspect ratio.