Ad Astra (2019)

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An astronaut travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. He uncovers secrets which challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.

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Directed By: James Gray

Written By: James Gray, Ethan Gross

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones, Natasha Lyonne, Brad Pitt, John Ortiz, Liv Tyler, LisaGay Hamilton, John Finn, Ruth Negga, Kimberly Elise, Loren Dean, Sean Blakemore

Genres: Drama, Sci-fi, Adventure, Mystery

Country: Brazil, China, USA

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Ad Astra belongs to 37 collections

1. Spacecraft setting (public: moderated by djross - 15 stars)

2. Films available in HD (public: moderated by kubricksucks - 12 stars)

3. Future (public: moderated by djross - 12 stars)

4. Interplanetary (public: moderated by djross - 6 stars)

5. Voiceover narration (public: moderated by djross - 5 stars)

6. Cinema Sins (public: moderated by Phantom Nook - 2 stars)

7. 4k Ultra HD discs (public: moderated by dumbjaw - 1 star)

8. 2020 Academy Awards- Nominated Feature Films (Non-Documentary) (public: moderated by joel-w-m - 1 star)

9. Availability: Disney+ and Star Canada (public: moderated by geohawk - 1 star)

10. Top (what I consider to be) "hard" sci-fi films (public: moderated by cscopeland79)

11. 2020 (public: moderated by asl)

12. 76th Venice International Film Festival (2019) ~p~ (public: moderated by 5Z5qjRCfM2)

13. Big-time Hollywood science fiction (private: djross - 7 stars)

14. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (private: fanfic - 5 stars)

15. Best by different standards (private: sesito71 - 5 stars)

16. Top 2000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (private: fanfic - 2 stars)

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31. Sight & Sound 50 Best Films of 2019 (private: TychoCelchuu)

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All Ratings | With Reviews

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TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
11	BeeDub	88 _75%
Seldom has resolving daddy issues been so hypnotically soothing.
11	MontyCircus	20 _11%
This is the kind of film where you have to apologize to everyone you convinced to watch it with you.
10	Paxton	50 _20%
!!!Heavy Spoilers!!! ahead: I don't want to watch a man travel across the galaxy just to have him literally tethered to his father and have to cut the cord to let him go both physically and emotionally. On a scale of one to on the nose, I rank that a naming your fictional character whose profession is stripping "Twerkalina."
9	Luna6ix	74 _47%
Every part of "Ad Astra" has been lifted from other, classic sci-fi films, from the visual aesthetics, to the themes, to the design. Yet it never quite misuses, or feels plagiaristic in its intent. It's more a well made, sincere homage to 2001 and the like, which in the age of sequels, remakes, and reboots, is a kind of originality all its own.
9	djross	50 _42%
2001 meets THE TREE OF LIFE with a touch of SOLARIS-style space madness thrown in. Filmed with appealing impressionistic minimalism and reaches for cinematic poetry but the theme of men's work as a striving for the infinite that distances them from those around them suffers from pulling its punches: a voiceover that is too literal (compared to Malick) and drama that is too human-centred (compared to Kubrick). Pirates and apes to wake up the audience but the final act is distinctly underwhelming.
8	FrederikA	50 _33%
A guy, who clearly fancies himself a new Terrence Mallick sets out to direct a script more suited for Michael Bay in the 90s, and is carried by the sheer will of every creative department attached to the film. Too little humanity to be poignant. Too few rabid space monkeys to be funny, and pulled further down by the most infuriatingly annoying VO this side of the theatrical release of Blade Runner, who's sequel this could have learned a thing or two from.
7	jacobclark12	81 _75%
A fantastically poetic and moving science-fiction film, the many thematic layers of Ad Astra tell of absentee father-son and human-divine relationships, guided by some of the best direction in the genre of recent memory from James Gray and a beautifully subtle performance from Brad Pitt. It does move slowly, so I cannot universally recommend it; however, if a thoughtful slow burn is your thing, Ad Astra will not disappoint you.
7	Leonardis	90 _66%
Having no high expectations going in, I thought this was pretty good. It isn't too similar to other sci/fi movies you see nowadays and in some ways is a great homage to classic space cinema. Parts of it reminded me of 2001, one of my top ten movies. Brad Pitt brings the lead character to life perfectly and even brings out some genuine emotion toward the end. There is also some really good directing in here, and I even thought the moon cars and space needle were cool. All in all, this is solid!
6	edkrak	50 _29%
Reminds me of one of my first sessions in D&D as a GM when I was hangover, didn't really prepare, was overeager to push quests down players throats before they even started searching for them and everything randomly lead to kinda meh ending I made up on the go. But even then I was reasonable enough not to attack main characters with angry Norwegian space baboons.
6	Icarus	92 _93%
The opening sequence sets the thematic tone for the film: star man falls to earth. There is something dangerous and even unsettling about such a fall, and the film traces this journey in McBride's character. Gray makes movies about our encounters with "others" and the humanizing results of said encounters. The film looks magnificent and the space setting works well for his contemplative purposes. The final result is exceedingly well done, a striking film from a too little known filmmaker.
6	Corbad	70 _55%
Never as thrilling as Gravity or as breathtaking as the moon landing in First Man, Ad Astra is yet unique in its genre. The near-future space travel, the moon rover chase, and the deep space mayday call are superb - creative and engaging - and the visuals are consistently excellent. However, the daddy issues are flaccid, the philosophy melts more than it waxes, and the ending is a complete misfire. Could have been more had it aimed for less. It ends up feeling overlong and uneven.
6	Proximity	69 _57%
Fucking voiceovers.
5	andayb	40 _15%
Gray tries to take a shortcut and instill pretense where there is none with blase voice overs and nostalgia montages. i can understand the idea behind a drama about existential crisis and meaning of parenthood but why and how does space fit into this? Gray could have told the exact same story in a Western setting since he didn't do his homework on space mechanics. i.e, how the fuck can you just board a fucking space rocket while it's literally launching? it's just plain stupid and lazy.
5	joel-w-m	6 _44%
The at times brooding, at times exciting, but always compelling premise of space/self-exploration, combined with the appreciably contemplative pace, breathtaking atmosphere/visuals (heh), and solid central performance could've made this a mesmerizing experience if it wasn't for the ultimately underwhelming and sometimes cliche voice-over ruminations, climactic encounter, and main character arc (the initially reserved and enigmatic Roy feels more like the typical generic leading man by the end).
5	mattorama12	59 _32%
I went into this knowing little, but expecting at least some interesting exploration of sci-fi ideas. I was disappointed that there were no such ideas at all. It's not terrible as a sort of tone poem, but that kind of movie is just not my bag, baby. Also, when you're going for this kind of minimalism, you're doing yourself a disservice by having so much of the themes just expressed directly through dialogue ("Just let go") or, even worse, narration.
5	WWallce4prez	83 _82%
Often brutally depressing, Ad Astra dives deep into the mythos made famous by Heart of Darkness. The burden and sacrifice that explorers must shoulder is immense. The possibility that nothing on the frontier is as great as what is at home is haunting. Here, that struggle is put to a stunning score and gorgeous photography.
4	ribcage	62 _42%
Ad Astra is a voyage worth taking once. Pitt is as strong as ever, and it Wow's with gorgeous cinematography. But when all is said, and said again, and said louder for those in the back, and said one last time for anyone who came in late, and now, finally definitively said and done, there's not much more than one actors grand performance to keep you coming back. Ad Astra simply boxes in its own ideas, suffocating them by over-stressing them.
4	Quintonjamin	50 _36%
It looks amazing throughout, but the voice over is annoying. While the first half was done very well, I never felt any of the emotion the movie was trying to get across and the philosophical aspect didn't work for me either.
4	dunetails	75 _63%
Ad Astra, 7.5/10. They didn't cluster fuck the ending,but I'm not sure it met the quality and tone of the first 80%,which I really enjoyed the tone of. It is glacial scifi. It's almost like they should have gone bigger and wilder in the last 10 mins though. It's very monologue heavy, which I think is to it's detriment. I don't need everything spelled out explicitly. Space porn is 10/10 . It looks fantastic,highest quality production values and VFX.
4	Ofterdingen	69 _73%
A Michael Bay story wrapped in Tarkovsky paper.
4	Obdurate	80 _66%
Very thoughtful/meditative, touching, sad and optimistic all at the same time. Pitt puts in very serious--yet nuanced--work here that pays off. The music fits the thoughtful tone. Gray shows once again that he definitely knows how to direct the shit out of a movie. Could have been a lot more boring than it was, but there's real heart here in how it tackles the parent/child relationship.
4	Narg	55 _49%
Ad Astra gets interrupted by two worse movies called "Moon Pirates" and "Killer Space Monkeys" smack in the middle of the runtime. We get a couple cameos by Donald Sutherland and Liv Tyler for some reason. Also, the voiceover is not a strength of this movie. This film was very interesting, but it's getting pulled in a million different directions and as a result is super messy, but goddamn does it look good.
4	PerryStroika	52 _19%
Emo astronaut Brad Pitt goes to Neptune to discover the true meaning of marriage. He should have stayed home and so should you.
4	cagedwisdom	75 _65%
If Terrence Malick made actual movies instead of pretentious garbage, this seems like it would be the kind of thing he would come out with. The droning and monotonous Malick-esque voice over alone makes Ad Astra feel an hour longer than it actually is. I liked this - it's actually beautiful. But it's far from perfect, and too often feels more like an echo of greater films, like Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 or - I'm sorry - Danny Boyle's Sunshine.
4	glumpy_99	45 _8%
Glacially-paced sci-fi offers Pitt an opportunity to play very low-key (so much so we miss his movie-star charisma) but the film neither has the ideas ("my Daddy didn't love me!") nor the epic scope to warrant the patience required to be immersed in this. Some striking moments and imagery contrast with unforgivably goofy ones (the monkey attack (!)) - allusions to APOCALYPSE NOW (Pitt's labored narration) and 2001 are more hopeful than successful.
4	Sadman	75 _45%
[IMAX viewing] I admired this movie more than I liked it. I was never bored, but never transported either. The script feels confused and overly "sequenced". The mix of contemplative voice-over with more traditional "plotty" space action hinders immersion in either. Never felt that invested in the themes of father/son which also muted the emotional force of the movie. Brad Pitt does a good job carrying the movie. The cinematography and score is ace. Wish I liked and felt it more.
3	bof	71 _62%
"And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space, 'cause there's bugger-all down here on Earth." - Tommy Lee Jones. Sure it's Apocalypse Now IN SPACE, but to what end? Just rehash the same old father-son-as-metaphor-for-god-and-man? It looks gorgeous and I like that it takes its time (baboons or not), but ultimately a movie this heavy with Meaning should leave its audience with more than nice visuals and a comforting moral.
3	sdiama	50 _39%
I really love space sci-fi movies. This is not one of them. Maybe it's a movie for cinema art lovers. Not for me, for sure, but someone may find something to enjoy in this film.
3	omgfridge	4 _34%
All foreplay and no climax.
3	ABUNCHOFCATS	60 _15%
Really bizarre choices dragged this movie down. The moon attack, monkeys, awful vocieover, lackluster ending and story. Very pretty to look at and at times seemed like it was getting there but man what a disappointment.
3	psim	86 _93%
James Gray manages to craft a movie that is seemingly full of contradictions: it's about exploration and the search for new life, but also about solitude and isolation, it's both blockbuster sci-fi action and deeply personal character study, both deeply depressing and unexpectedly hopeful. Somehow it all fits together and offers a compelling journey into the heart of darkness of space.
3	goremeat	80 _75%
It's not about daddy-issues you planks. AA does in part revolve around explorers and pioneers, but deeply it feels religious. Chasing an absent Divinity as Father may distract from what is not absent. Divinity as Purpose can vanish like fools' gold, and Divinity as Others is empty. Slow, meditative, and a little scary in its extreme solitude. Yeh, could have done without the monkeys, pirates and voiceovers.
3	DavidBlast	35 _20%
It's like Brad Pitt read an intimate post-film school script, and decided to make it his Oscar winner. Then Hollywood producers added action sequences, CGI animals, and the most ridiculous voice over since the theatrical release of 'Blade Runner'. This father/son parable is incoherent and pointless, but to its credit Brad Pitt is really good.
3	gwynbleidd	86 _92%
Amazing. Beautiful visuals, great soundtrack, interesting characters and with a nice message. Good pacing and never predictable. I especially liked the flashbacks and voice overs and I appreciate the risks that the makers of this film took. Stands out from other space flicks like Gravity, The Martian and Sunshine. Highly recommended!
3	doyler29	90 _85%
This is an odd film very clearly modeled on "Heart of Darkness" via "Apocalypse Now". Pitt encounters action sequences involving moon pirates and space apes, before encountering a much more internal conflict in orbit around Neptune. (In that sense, "2001" is also brought to mind.)
3	TheRealJ-Ro	80 _70%
The serious Kubrickian, "2001" vibes had me hooked from the opening frames. You need the perfect performer to pull off such heavy exposition, especially given that most of it is internal dialogue. Pitt, luckily, was that performer, with two other tremendous talents to play off of in Sutherland and Jones. Spectacular direction, even though the ending feels a little rushed, and there are certain Sci-Fi clichés that maybe could have been left to the side. Plus, rabid space monkeys. There's that.
3	sellis	67 _33%
The set piece on the moon is cool and the 70+ day montage super cool, but otherwise - vague characterizations leave the intended emotional effect noticeably hollow. Overall, a perfectly forgettable experience. Why are Donald Sutherland and Liv Tyler in this movie?
3	TheEscapist	76 _81%
More poetry than science. An ambitious film. Majestic visuals with a tense and engaging (though simplistic) plot throughout. A nice meditative experience, only let down by a premise that was ultimately too simple and some jarring plot inconsistencies. I very much enjoyed watching this on the big screen. The fact that I'm rating it this high, despite the simple plot and some borderline inexcusable scientific inaccuracies, says a lot about how well executed the other aspects of this film are.
3	Moribunny	25 _12%
A recycling bin of all the silliest sci-fi and action-flick cliches, with gratuitous zero-G fights, gag-inducing melodrama and that laughable brooding voice-over narration you'd totally expect it to have. I didn't think James Gray had room for any more nails in his coffin as an artist and yet here we are, watching his worst film yet.
3	TheDiceman	60 _62%
Great effects but not much else. Like an Apocalypse Now in space only no where near as interesting.
3	amazedemon	64 _50%
Ad Astra falls squarely into the human-focused reflective sphere of the sci-fi genre. The cinematography is gorgeous. The central themes of faith and the importance of human connection are present, albeit unsubtle. Unfortunately, the film is slow and without a rewarding payoff. The sound design used to keep you on edge goes too far, becoming numbing. Pitt's narration lies between art-house and fragrance ad, but is undeniably pretentious. Ultimately despite some intrigue, I didn't enjoy the film.
3	christof	74 _35%
This is a slow, dull space fable about (I think) the need for a guy to open up emotionally and deal with his daddy issues. Just because its slow Sci-Fi, you don't get extra Art points like you're making Solaris.
3	morphinapg	67 _39%
I feel like this movie is similar in some ways to Blade Runner, so if you love that movie, you may like this as well. Great visuals and sound, lots of worldbuilding, but a slow and introspective story. In some ways I understand the reasons for this, but I didn't really enjoy this movie or Blade Runner. They feel quite a bit too slow, and the story and characters are not quite interesting enough to hold my attention through the slow story, nor does it all feel worth it in the end.
3	bowfinger	40 _32%
Soooooooooo, blankets and pillows are still priced in dollars instead of sats, and you can use duct tape to protect your face during a spacewalk? weird flex, but ok. other than that, feels like an ultra sterile attempt at a bastard cross between Apocalypse Now, Armageddon, and the Passion of Christ. Not sure about the Christ bit, it's a work in progress, cut me some slack.
3	feublo	60 _17%
As poetic this might have felt, it lacks depth with the character's story becoming hollow throughout. There's a few moments that draw a wonderful aesthetic and connects similar to Blade Runner 2049, it's just not completely unique in its existentialism that pulls from previous works.
3	Gnalkhere	70 _46%
And now...PITT'S! IN! SPAAAAAAAAACE!
3	luord	80 _87%
Soaring through majestic visuals but grounded in a tried and true emotional core. It's a treat, even if it can be slow at times.
3	KasperL	50 _30%
The trailer sold me and I like the slow pacing. Pitt does what he can - in fact, he's quite good. As expected, HVH's picture perfect lensing makes the film look like a million bucks. (Well... you know... it looks great.) But sadly, the film doesn't work. Even more unforgivable than the unnecessary and highly distracting voice-over (and this is saying a good deal, mind you) is the implausibility of a number of situations and the lack of anything resembling a climax or a point worth caring about.
3	JLFM	79 _79%
At its best, Ad Astra is a thoughtful and masterfully directed visual spectacle anchored by a great performance by Pitt. There’s tons of awesome and memorable imagery and, surprisingly, a handful of really great action setpieces. The back half didn’t work quite as well for me as the front, and I was strongly not a fan of the hand-holding narration. Largely loved this, though.
3	whatismyname	60 _49%
It was beautiful but overall lacking. Tommy Lee Jones' role was basically an afterthought. It seems like every film Liv Tyler is in, she is this ephemeral character, does she really exist?
2	DaanS	50 _16%
Brad travels all the way to Neptune to discover that there is barely any plot to be found among the stars. Despite excruciating attempts to sound profound, his monologues end up hollow. Worth a watch for the visuals, but that's about it.
2	Amorfus	91 _78%
It's a story being told over a great length of time. Definitely more of a thinker than I expected. Pitt is amazing. The story is full of parallels and keeps you interested. Visually magnificent.
2	lethias	90 _89%
Wonderfully aesthetic film with couple of unnecessary action scenes, presumably for larger audience attraction, and couple of unbelievable events, but under the line a very quality film. I see Tommy Lee as humanity today or near future, humanity of false hope and not being able to face the truth, Pitt, the future, the son, content and restful of the cruel nature of humanity's existence. After the journey of course. American movie of course needs nukes. Shame.
2	igormachete	30 _3%
Why is it so full of bullshit nonesensical voiceovers about character I dont't care about, if not for pretty picture and my love for space and sci-fi in general I probably couldn't even finish this pretentious filler
2	Filligan	93 _88%
I find a lot of this film's criticisms disheartening, and I can't tell if these vapid, surface-level criticisms have always existed and I'm just growing sick of seeing surface-level digressions everywhere in life, or if it truly is a newer phenomenon. Arguments against the methodical pacing or Pitt's reserved characterization or the misinformed science. Like, what? This is a common thread I'm seeing with all art lately: it's no longer about the emotionality, it's about what "it should be."
2	NothingsGood	60 _55%
Really poorly marketed. Great first half, meandering and pointless second half. Three immaculate sequences carry it to over 50.
2	natebarrios	75 _74%
The Space Beyond the Pines
2	philamental	54 _24%
Gravity meets Apocalypse Now. Despite frequently stellar visuals, AA suffers a lot by frequently failing to live up to it's own ambitions. Most of the action scenes are unnecessary and jarringly farcical putting them at odds with what is otherwise quite a brooding slow paced observation of a successful astronaut with intense daddy issues. The constant inner monologue is irritating rather than informative and I really could have done without them spelling out the need to 'let go' in the climax.
2	sproost	50 _27%
Space-emo: the total package including color desaturated flashbacks, somber, raspy voice-over AND! .. and this is a big one to check off: the ending-still where all sound fx and music are mute and the motto is whispered by a character, then off to end titles. Pompous!
2	Yiannos	65 _59%
At some point in its development it was compromised by studio interference, but like all of Gray's work, it has 3rd act problems, and it's difficult to shake the feeling that it's a simple story about estanged fathers given a deluxe treatment via an elaborate space setting when it could have just been set in an office or on a construction site. Gray/Hoytema's visuals are commendable though, and the film works best as a reflective mood piece when it isn't being sidetracked by action set pieces.
2	plvenice	9 _85%
Look, the plot was just absurd at times. That much is indisputable. But the imagination that went into this movie can't be understated. For a movie as grand in ambition and scale, it really was executed pretty well. If you like space, the visuals will mesmerize you. If you don't like space, you'll find a terrific adventure movie. See this in IMAX if possible.
2	klea	40 _37%
I don't get the love for this one. Heart of Darkness in space, but the space parts don't make any sense. Made me laugh how a film so full of itself in its serious approach to sci-fi could make so many comically bad errors that made it hard for me to get drawn in. Apocalypse Now and Event Horizon both do the premise better, in my opinion
2	FoxyRussian	5 _2%
Maybe if I hated my dad I would have liked this movie. Some of the best CGI to ever exist in film and well staged shots in a movie with characters and a story that have little to get emotionally attached to. The movie moves forward in a quick, brisk pace; not spending time on reflection or caring about any sort of character growth or impact. Which is weird for a character study film. I wanted it to end way before the credits rolled
2	Yoshinaruto	15 _1%
Solid opening scene and acting. It’s got like three memorable scenes, but two of them require some suspension of disbelief. The plot, characters and pacing are all far from what I’d want. Someone said if you liked “2001” you’ll like this, but I though 2001 was a far better film that was ahead of its time. Ad Astra would’ve flopped and been forgotten without Pitt’s name attached to it.
2	thegreyfox	20 _3%
Just when you think a sci-fi movie is going to be reasonably believable, (unlike Gravity, for eg), along comes this festering pile of putrescence to dispel THAT idea. OK, its concept is pretty far fetched, but the space monkeys, Mad max sequence and shoot outs, intersellar space ships that can land on planets, ships you can access at time of launch through a convenient airlock, and the ability to propel yourself back home from Neptune by nothing more than an atomic blast is just plain STUPID.
2	AAAutin	86 _93%
Dammit, everybody took all the good "-AD" puns already!
2	Stradivarius	75 _51%
I liked what it set out to do, but it did it so clumsily
2	Kavu	73 _53%
The drop in pacing near the end is not helping, as the rest is not really that fast either. Otherwise good.
2	protagonyst	38 _15%
Complete disregard of basic physics. Story makes no sense. Brad Pitts shows no emotion whatsoever. I struggled to continue watching to the end. Beautiful images but that's pretty much the only positive aspect of the movie. I had high hopes but was very disappointed.
2	Ytadel	7 _83%
A dreamy journey into the disquieting but promising unknown that balances somehow being cerebral but thrilling all at once in its best stretches. Definitely made me think a bit of both Apocalypse Now in its narrative structure and 2001 in its look and tone. I’m not the sure the ending fully resolved the mystery and promise of its early acts but it’s still a very interesting journey worth taking.
2	Malcym	5 _32%
Engaging for much of its length with solid work by Brad Pitt (although he struggles to sell some of the sub-Malick voiceover nonsense) and plenty of staggering visuals. Loses its way, big time, in the final third and features a shockingly lame performance by Tommy Lee Jones. Worth a watch, but I left disappointed.
2	timmo	60 _17%
Two or three moments of cinematic excellence aren't enough to make up for a lackluster script and ultimately forgettable narrative. It's worth seeing for those moments, I guess.
2	Sinuhet	75 _30%
It is not making sense. Beutiful camera, but illogical story.
2	tenhas	40 _11%
They hAD ASTRA but gave nothing...
2	AFlickering	2 _19%
like any insufferably self-serious filmmaker with a growing budget, it's inevitable that gray would look to kubrick just incase one white elephant (his beloved coppola) isn't enough. of course, for all their egotism those guys usually had respect for their audience, a trait which eludes AD ASTRA as it carefully steers us through its totally-profound-and-not-hackneyed-at-all unifying metaphor with an endless barrage of laughable verbal, visual and narrative cues.
2	Spunkie	65 _76%
I get that why it will lose most of it's audience. And middle portion of the movie is a filler. Yet it resonated with me due to showcasing how almost psychopathic and obsessive pursuit exploration is when contrasted with chestthumping billionaires that will try to sell you a dream they make no sacrifices for.
2	Vassago	64 _44%
Nothing we haven't seen before.
2	redacted	61 _31%
extended baboon screams
2	YSinq	78 _88%
There are dozens of space movies, but this one is different. The focus is not on space itself, it's on the characters and their reflection on each other. While the space setting provides amazing scenes, Brad Pitt holds great monologues that are underlined by an atmospheric and fitting soundtrack. The movie also provides many new ideas like the car chase scene. What makes this movie truly special is the story between father and son. Both not able to let go. Chasing one while leaving another.
2	Neonman	75 _50%
James Gray NEARLY does it for me, and I was excited to see if a larger budget and genre filmmaking would elevate his work -- and it does, just a bit. This journey is straight-forward and linear, not even overly revelatory, but it's immersive in portraying this epic space travel as this gives our main man time to ruminate on father-son relationships and mankind's destiny that interrupts that (which concludes with not the cheeriest closure). Overblown blockbuster moments bring it down, though.
2	Duder	65 _59%
Technically it is stunning, but as a whole it is not. It just went here and there, couldn't find its feet. Looked amazing ok, but what else did you offer is the question.
2	vv238	49 _51%
I wonder how much of this film was achieved in post-production because while the editing, effects, and direction are all fantastic, the story is kind of a mess. It's thematically confused at best as most, if not all, of the legwork comes from the intrusive voice-overs. Despite these voice-overs to mindlessly explain the themes, no such care is given to the plot which meanders and under-explains nearly everything this film asks you to believe.
2	thefriedone	40 _11%
Really did not enjoy this at all. There were some very artful shots but the plot was ham-fisted and the characters thin.
2	Velvet Crowe	22 _15%
The setting is interesting but goddamn is this a snooze fest. There's barely any plot for most of the run time and the acting is constantly this low, monotone hush that Hollywood seems to love these days for their "epic," serious dramas. Otherwise the cinematography is mostly bland and uninteresting, the writing is rote dramatic garbage, and it betrays its sci-fi labeling by not displaying any real exploration of technology. It's a pretty good sleeping pill, I'll give it that.
2	bentien	68 _68%
Great first half and a strong performance from Pitt in the lead. Second haft can't live up to the beginning, primarily due to the lack of emotional impact what so ever.
2	nobamba	60 _61%
Too many space tropes for me: loneliness, human connection, explosions, technology gone wrong, lab animals, discovering missing people, using nukes to launch yourself, etc. Very good sound mixing. Space war with pirates was kind of silly. Score bumped up since I like space films. Fav scene: intro with everyone falling down.
2	edward	30 _34%
Somewhere underneath the lousy writing and the embarrassingly bad acting (Brad Pitt cannot fucking act) exists a very good concept for film. While visually the film is impressive at times, it's just not enough to compensate for the shit acting and the subpar writing. It's too bad. The film's story explores new territory in a way that I haven't seen before, but there's just no substance. It's an odd juxtaposition between what it aims for, figuratively and literally, and what it actually achieves.
2	Ippei	80 _86%
Emotion is a powerful tool. At first, Brad Pitt didn't seem appropriate for the role, but boy was I wrong. I still think he is one of the most underrated actors out there (maybe not any more with his Oscar win). His emotional performance, particularly the scene in which he shares with Tommy Lee Jones, is so amazing it adds a very nice icing on an already rich cake. The film is also very well directed technically, with the action sequence in the dead silence of space being another highlight.
2	Bown	85 _76%
One of the best sci-fi movies in a while - it looks and sounds amazing, Pitt’s performance is superb, and the emotional journey is fantastically-implemented. Some flaws, such as Liv Tyler’s character being severely underused and physics so wonky even someone like me who truly doesn’t care about that shit noticed, but mostly it left me truly gripped and incredibly emotional. Would be much better without the last five minutes, though - what suit felt they were necessary?
2	Tavington	1 _11%
At some point I just feel asleep, along with the majority of cinema. Quite promising start that quickly devolves and releases viewers attention.
2	fenixdown	55 _12%
Looks nice, although the voiceover is weak and the plot is derivative. Many of the scenes are completely pointless
1	Koji	2 _6%
2/10 because it was visually pleasing, otherwise a total bore both mentally and emotionally.
1	matthagen	46 _35%
There are a few thrilling, memorable sequences, and Pitt is good. But there is some real stupidity here, the voice over doesn't work, and it nearly put me to sleep.
1	Iamdwg (Interpreting the Stars)	92 _90%
This space odyssey is absolutely stunning and beautiful. Great cinematography, editing, use of sound mixing...amazing performance from Brad Pitt, and an excellent use of slow-building to illicit that ambiance it was always going for. Definitely loved the themes going on in this one. WILL be boring for a lot of people, though.
1	DreadPirate	74 _37%
This movie is visually stunning, but ultimately leaves you wanting something more. More of climax, more plot, maybe less Brad Pitt.... It's good but not great.
1	siphus007	72 _36%
Meaningful, visually gripping, and atmospheric. But it also includes execution miscues, some oddly unique melodrama, and an inexplicable hollowness.
1	skap	25 _8%
Given its anemic pseudo philosophical plot, Ad Astra could have been justified only as a pretext for some breathtaking cinematic space travel. Unfortunately, it is as boring visually as it is dramatically. And since when making a sad face in front of a camera is considered acting. I definitely want my money back... and my time too.
1	cairosmith	14 _8%
Banal and hamfisted nothingness.
1	seals	8 _79%
(rewatch) probably should have received more Among the Best of the Year/Deserves Oscar Consideration blotter, because I think it's one of the 2019 movies that people will still be talking about in 20, 30 years. it does get a little draggy & ponderous when TLJ shows up, though.
1	monografiq	60 _32%
Nice meditative pace and lack of pointless "we have no story so let's do special effects" action. Unfortunately, the story and characters are barely developed.
1	Ametrine	8 _64%
I really, really loved this movie, but it's definitely not for everyone. The slow burn is a brilliant conscious choice, but I can see that being a huge turn-off for anyone going into this expecting it to be bigger and more epic than it is. It's actually a very simple story, encased in a gorgeous presentation of outstanding visual and sound work. Think 2001: A Space Odyssey, rather than Gravity.
1	peyrin	85 _90%
In an interesting parallel to the film's concept, Ad Astra is the son following in the footsteps of many of the genre's pioneering films, consolidated into a big-screen aesthetic treat that asks perhaps unoriginal but still challenging questions about the arresting loneliness that compels us to reach for the edges of the solar system.
1	greghend	55 _26%
It wanted to be Apocalypse Now meets 2001, but it ended up being something of a sloppy space noir (great visuals though). The father-son relationship was supposed to be the focal point of the emotional arc but it was so poorly developed that I was left with nothing but apathy in the end.
1	sergrobber	82 _37%
Pros: Brad Pitt; Tommy Lee Jones; unique take on space Cons: painfully slow; too much narration
1	mjoc0723	50 _41%
Well made and great looking but so very, very boring.
1	Actionberg	40 _11%
It looks great and that's about it. The film seems to reject the conviction that cinema is capable of emotional affect on its own, and as such proceeds to overexplain its characters' feelings through unnecessary narration and plodding dialogue. The whole thing feels like a patchwork of older, better space movies. It's so lacking in innovation that the experience is like watching a movie made fifteen years ago, left in a vault, and released today.
1	toddsalter	88 _49%
Pretty good science fiction. Not so much the idea but just the stories that happen along the way, kind of like several good Star Trek episodes in 1 movie. But the overall theme and ending didn't do much for me.
1	mandy	7 _74%
Very well put together with great cinematography and score - it asks lots of deep questions about life, the universe everything - but, for me, just seemed to full short of really making an impact.
1	r.Din	60 _31%
Undermined by some very suspect physics...
1	nutcrackr	78 _70%
Space Cowboys 2 is pretty good. Tries to be a bit too arty sometimes, though. The various "stages" make it feel like a video game. The moon and mars gravity bothered me more than it should have.
1	frederic_g54	6 _35%
We are all thinking it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-l4N97Mvok
1	msprague	75 _73%
Looks cool. Lots of jumping into space and grabbing handholds at the last minute. Agent K was a real dick at the end.
1	Wiche	66 _50%
Actually, there is only one thing I'll remember from this film: Brad Pitt is a really great actor. He is the only thing that saves this film. Without him, this is just a melodramatic, underpaced film.
1	Vandelay1	68 _71%
good movie
1	moraesfelipe	85 _92%
Of course Gray would make Pitt's lonely but cold-hearted astronaut travel to Neptune to find his dad and ultimately place an atomic bomb on an old ship to destroy cosmic surges that menace life on Earth and also his daddy issues. This is it, the feeling you are watching the LAST SPACE movie: we're all we've got. Beautiful claustrophobic, wide-angled and closeup shots all over in Gray's experimental, existential (pessimistic or optimistic?) journey into ourselves through the emptiness out there.
1	Stewball	80 _80%
Very bleak, right up to the end. Argues against the escape-to-the-stars culture.
1	Mirelurk	71 _57%
This one has a lot of interesting ideas and some stunning visuals but I was irritated by the voiceover which was constantly telling me how Pitt was feeling. It kind of has one foot in the art house and one in the box office and when you have someone doing such great emoting as Pitt does here, it breaks the hold of the film. So unfortunately I couldn't connect with it emotionally, worth seeing though.
1	Calexico	70 _36%
The human drama is somewhat mediocre but the ambition is admirable and the visuals are excellent. Basically the reverse-side of Lost City of Z, presenting the relationship between the obsessive, publicly idolized father and the son living in his shadow, this time from the son's perspective.
1	JohnSandwich	70 _63%
Nitpicking about realism in this movie seems like missing the point. This was pretty good. Visuals and sound/music were very nice. Pitt did well. But my reaction to it on first watch is sorta same as it has been for all of Gray's movies, liking it but feeling something is missing to make it great. That moon rover chase scene was incredible tho.
1	zspyry	4 _12%
A really interesting concept that is being let down by a weak script and unconvincing science.
1	VinegarBob	75 _67%
The science in this movie isn't much more than a MacGuffin to drive the narrative forward. It's more about the main character's journey into the far reaches of space to meet his father and how those things affect him psychologically, and Brad Pitt essays that nicely with a career best performance. That said the production and sound design, cinematography and music are all superb, so if you can gloss over the questionable science there's a beautiful and lyrical human drama to envelop yourself in.
1	EbelC	50 _28%
The fight of a man that was abandoned by his father, a hero for the rest of the world, to be over it. Mostly no sci-fi (it's actually irrelevant to the story, just an exotic background) and for my taste at least too many (bad) offs, to many unnecessary things that could be masked as visual poetry and deep thinking but feel totally empty. I found it far too long, slow, boring and vacuous, though technically it's quite beautiful to watch and listen.
1	ikkegoemikke	52 _34%
A slow-paced drama that wants to be a SF eagerly. [Full Review]
1	SeanBerndorff	55 _33%
Much better if you ignore the voice over...
1	closedmouth	70 _40%
Had a similar feeling with this as I had with The Immigrant, like it kind of built up to something that fizzled out into nothing at the end. A great feeling for most of it and then suddenly it's the end. Plus the scientific implausibilities that I mostly didn't care about but still kept popping up, like with Gravity. I liked this movie a lot.
1	stuie299	85 _76%
There is just something about space movies like this and Interstellar that really draw me in. At times Ad Astra can be rather heavy handed, but the visuals are arresting enough that the heavy handedness can be overlooked. I really liked the decision to not muddle the focus and keep it squarely on Brad Pitt. If he gets an Oscar nomination for this performance I wouldn't be upset in the slightest.
1	Darren	70 _54%
The anti space space movie
1	Seethruskin	4 _52%
I've been feeling it somewhat, but I think I'm officially sick of space films. This one wasn't bad and actually uses space to create some spectacular scenes, but I'm just done with it.
1	Hofschneider	85 _82%
Without the voice-overs, it could've been phenomenal. And without the very last sentence.
1	batolo	35 _7%
No one in the audience cares about this astronaut's daddy issues, and this film has little else on offer.
1	sopachuco13	80 _62%
Ad Astra is the kind of Sci-fi movie that I like. It is a world that seems lived in. There isn't tons of world building that gets in the way of fleshing out an interesting story with interesting characters. When the fight happened on the moon, I felt like of course there would be warring factions fighting over resources. The final moments in space with father and son didn't end in a satisfactory way. I thought that there was a lot more that needed to be fleshed out and the end was cheap.
1	KenMeisters	82 _88%
Brad Pitt goes to space to search for his father, who searches for extraterrestial life (or maybe god?). This leads to a lot of daddy issues, sadness and isolation for Brad, who delivers yet another great performance this year. The space scenes are breathtaking and almost alone worth the price of admission.
1	BadFurDay	9 _95%
There are dumb scenes and unrealistic bits - I won't argue with that - but this is a modern scifi masterpiece. What gets me most in this movie is the major efforts put into worldbuilding, and the fact that the plot actually goes somewehere instead of being a typical dead end heroic crusade movie like too many modern scifi movies tend to. Far from perfect, but still a gorgeous movie experience.
1	jeffrawr	70 _40%
tropes galore but it was pretty
1	Conor_C96	74 _45%
Stunning special effects and cinematography. However, the second half of the film was massively underwhelming and brought it down to being very average, with unexplored characters and a lazy ending.
1	mike365365	68 _57%
A little slow.
1	YamilVidal	62 _25%
This movie tries to be Solaris, 2001 and Blade Runner. It fails. Beautiful photography, but the plot is just not there.

Average Percentile 48.23% from 1895 Ratings