Quick Movie Reviews
Rating of
2.5/4
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/31/2020
Ad Astra tries to be a lot of things throughout its lengthy running time. At first, it's exciting what with explosions in space, moon chases and bloodthirsty baboons but then things take a turn for the more introspective and the last 45 minutes, while certainly more dramatic, also drags a bit and the ending is somewhat underwhelming. Sure, it's pretty to look at and has good moments, but it never quite succeeds in being better than the sum of its parts.
Rating of
2/4
Indyfreak - wrote on 03/05/2020
AD ASTRA is beautifully made and gorgeousKy shot. It's not an action movie and is very deliberately paced and more thoughtful than the usual space adventure film. That's nice and dandy but admittedly I was bored in parts. James Gray is a capable director. He previously did the very excellent LOST CITY OF Z and the earlier historical drama THE IMMIGRANT (also good). Brad Pitt is more subdued than usual, and if that's all the direction he had, he excels at it. To the film's credit, it is beautiful to look at. The sense of scale with outer space and the few action scenes drive home the point of how dangerous it is even when navigating through a seemingly secure space station.
Rating of
3/4
Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 12/17/2019
It shoots for "2001: A Space Odyssey," a film in a stratosphere it doesn't even come close to. The mundane VO narration is overloaded with vaguely existential and spiritual undertones, but "Ad Astra" has enough anxiety inducing sequences and impressive technical effects to forgive its faults.
