'Ad Astra' Reaches For The Stars But Falls Hopelessly Back To Earth

7/12 ForReel Score | 3/5 Stars

Ad Astra is a strong space epic brought up with stunning visuals and perfect casting choices. However, a slow burning story that doesn’t have a truly satisfying payoff makes me wonder why the main character…or the audience for that matter…needed to stick it out until the end.

Brad Pitt (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, World War Z) returns to the big screen with another strong acting performance. Some have described his acting as monotonous, which I tend to agree with. In Ad Astra, however, that is exactly what an astronaut who is never rattled should sound like.

The visuals are absolutely stunning; every shot is beautiful and well composed, which is something we’ve become accustomed to from director James Gray. Unfortunately, as with Gray’s last project The Lost City Of Z, the film’s pace is an incredibly slow build up to the third act, making this 2 hour film feel much more like a 3 or 3 and a half hour experience.

Even so, a satisfying third act would have gone a long way. Perhaps even further than Neptune. Instead, we are left with a seemingly rushed and underwhelming finale. Incredible special effects and superb acting aren’t enough to save this underwhelming space epic. Ad Astra may have brought us to the stars, but the film seemingly left us floating alone in the vast reaches of space.

Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 1 | Entertainment Value - 0 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer's Preference - 1 | What does this mean?