Why So Blu?

Yeah, I read the article about it. That's pretty cool.

Orbi-Wan Techno

I though she was the most realistic down to Earth character in the movie. And she was only onscreen for a minute or so.

L Everett Scott

We're on the same page on this one. The big problem with Ad Astra is that the drama isn't engaging enough to distract you from the stupid stuff. Had the execution of the daddy issues been better and more than just surface deep then maybe we wouldn't have had time to think about physics and ask questions like 'What are the pirates trying to achieve by killing everyone?' or 'Where are the bodies of the 26 crew members that the space monkeys killed?' Mind you, the drama would've had to work really hard to distract from the stupidity of getting sling shot through the rings of Neptune while shielding yourself with a solar panel because no...that just does not work.

I hated how the film ended on an upbeat note where Jr. gets back to Earth and reunites with his ex. I was half expecting/hoping that when he came back that MPs would drag him out of the landing module and clap him in irons since he confessed to manslaughter in his message to SpaceComm.

Good visuals, but this is no Gravity or First Man. Or even Armageddon.

In terms of movies this year, this was a disappointment on par with the Gozilla sequel.

Abob Teff

SmackDaddy

On the ending, I don't think it's too far fetched to thing he "got away" with it due to the fact they everything about the mission was covert. I got the impression he wasn't leaving Mars alive (backed up by the fact that the crew was ordered to kill him). He was being used the entire time, there was never any intent to save his father since they already new he was probably nuts.

Perkinsun Dzees

I thought that the 1st half of the movie was fantastic. I loved the space pirates and the killer space monkeys.

The 2nd half...not so much.

The whole arc of Brad Pitt's character was handled in such a heavy handed manner that it was laughable by the end. I mean, he literally solves his daddy issues by letting go of his father at one point. Not figuratively. Not metaphorically. He LITERALLY LETS GO OF HIS FATHER!

Brack

dex14

How about the $125 pillow and blanket pack while flying commercial to the moon?

L Everett Scott

Respectfully disagree. The movies you mentioned (as well as the franchises like Trek and Star Wars) are all better than Ad Astra by a very significant margin. Gray's movie is a very good looking film that just couldn't stick the landing...or the take-off...or the in-flight portion in the middle. Its lapses in logic and padded parts could be forgiven if the drama were handled better, but it was just so hammy and on-the-nose.

I'm glad you and others have enjoyed Ad Astra, but I regret taking two hours of my time to watch it instead of revisiting 2001, Gravity, BR, or any of the other films you listed.

asianxcore

Saw this yesterday and this is how I felt as well.

I thought the second half of the film felt padded (for run-time) in many places.

Mike86

Abob Teff

I have a question/theory on this ... when he “hitches a ride” on the one ship, they show the crew dosing out required drugs. I am pretty sure they said something about it being a mood stabilizer (or something of sort). Then he “cheeks” it (doesn’t take it). Additionally, it seems like almost every person in space is a freaking zombie or overly happy. I think it is “necessary” to keep people medicated and docile to endure the rigors of space ... at least as Space Command wants it. This is supported by the constant psych evaluations and even possibly by the “lawlessness” of space once people get “outside the system” (meaning Space Command). It would even support Tommy Lee Jones going crazy ... or even crazier.

To me, this falls in to the biggest problem with movies like this ... the themes are there, the clues are there ... but they never bring it home. I don’t need to be beat over the head (please, don’t), but there are points and opportunities missed to make the world richer while we are being beat over the head with other thematic elements.

jpcamb

saw this last Tuesday and although the movie had some promise it seemed to go off the rails at some point. I kept waiting for a twist or something, anything to help make the movie make a little more sense and it just wasnt there. My wife had guessed the movies ending fell flat, the guy should be a hero or something, instead it seems to just sort of end at a convenient time to roll credits...

FWIW I found myself leaving the theater thinking that's not how any of that works...

Dan

I enjoyed the experience of it, but I don't think it has much lasting value. I think they way the film portrays the main character's emotional detachment was excellent. I didn't really dig the third act all that much, though.

jpcamb

the detachment made me expect a twist along the lines of Serenity the movie from last year w Anne Hathaway.

DaveNinja

Saw this saturday afternoon. I thought it was kind of boring but had some good parts.

Daytripper

Finally saw this tonight and agree with you both. I thought it was great and definitely one of 2019's best film. The whole time watching it, I definitely felt a "2001", "Sunshine" and "Gravity" vibe. I doubt it will get recognized for any major Oscar nomination. But should be recognized for cinematography, sound and production design.

Shannon Nutt

Brad Pitt travels 3 billion miles, kills a few people, and accomplishes nothing except to realize he needs to act more like a human being.

Wolf359

You mean the astronauts who were SUPPOSED to be there, doing what they were told to do for the success of the mission vs an intruder who wasn't authorized and may have jeopardized the mission?

So if someone goes into a bank with a gun and kills the guards who are trying to kill him, it's justified?

Double_Oh_7

Should have been titled A Bore.

GoldenJCJ

This is one of those movies where I suspect a good movie was left on the cutting room floor.

There just seemed to be a lot of holes that should have been filled with the father/son story.

Shannon Nutt

Far more likely it was a good movie at the original screenplay level that got changed by Gray (who has a screenplay credit) and Pitt during filming.

Decker

Just watched this last night. Agree the first half was really good and interesting and then it kinda shits the bed after getting to Mars. So much doesn’t make sense. Couldn’t figure out why Roy sneaks onto the ship and murders the crew to do exactly what they were going to do anyway. Then the end where he uses a huge nuclear explosion to no only return back to EARTH, on a ship designed for travel to and from MARS, without burning up, but landing gently enough to not be injured and conveniently next to a rescue crew. Sometimes they remember it takes a long time to travel in space, sometimes they forget - Roy uses a feeding tube to go to Neptune but just kinda naps back to earth. Just weird dumb stuff.

I bet someone could cut together scenes from Gravity, The Martian, Interstellar and this and put together a pretty cool Ocean’s Eleven in Space movie trailer.

Mabuse

It was too similar to Apocalypse Now and/or Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Like 2001 through a Heart of Darkness filter. Too derivative.

TheBang

Well, I think that was intentional. And I'm all for a good Heart of Darkness tale. This one just wasn't very good though.