Cinephile № 802 “Ad Astra”

Recommendation: 5/5 STARS, SHOWTIME

Plot: “Astronaut Roy McBride undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.” -IMDB

Review: “Ad Astra” begins on a tower, miles above the earth. As the camera moves, we get a true sense of the vastness of space and what it means to be standing on the precipice of all that is beyond the safety of our atmosphere and this blue marble we call home. In an instant, this celestial scene is torn apart and given to chaos as debris begins raining down from above. As we watch Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) fall back to Earth, we are offered our first glimpse into how little the universe cares for us.

Waking in a hospital bed, Roy thanks his lucky stars to be alive, but a new mystery is born. What happened? Debriefing with military brass, Roy discovers his father is believed to be alive after missing for 30-years and may be the reason for the attack on the tower. This launches a search for his father that will have Roy journeying across the universe for profound and heart wrenching answers.

“Ad Astra” displays beauty in the chaos. Bouncing from the Moon, to Mars, and then some of the farthest reaches of our universe, we find beauty in man’s accomplishments, the…