Ad Astra

Ad Astra tells the story of astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt), travelling through our solar system to find his missing father (Tommy Lee Jones), whose mission and experiments might have doomed Earth. McBride’s control over his emotions makes him a great astronaut, but the secrets he discovers and this dangerous space journey affect his talent.

It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August, and critics gave it raving reviews. Space exploration always gives stunning films, and Ad Astra is no exception. The beautiful shots of space and Earth are complemented by amazing special effects, and director James Gray achieved his goal of showing “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie”. Add to that dazzling action scenes, with a lunar chase that seems to be the equivalent of Mad Max: Fury Road but out in space, and you get the best science fiction film of the year.

Brad Pitt’s performance has been unanimously praised, with a critic saying “his performance is so understated it hardly looks like acting at all”. After seeing his superb laid-back acting in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, it is extremely impressive to see him portray McBride with a minimum of fuss, and lots of seriousness. He really makes this film thought-provoking and sublime, and brings it ad astra (“to the stars” in Latin).

Antoinette Clare