2010s science fiction film epic film thriller film

Ad Astra

2019 · United States · 123 min

Director: James Gray
Screenplay: James Gray, Ethan Gross
Producer: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Anthony Katagas
Music: Max Richter
Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema
Production company: Plan B Entertainment, 20th Century Studios, Regency Enterprises

Awards: · 1 nominations

What the critics say

83 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews80 Metacritic /100

Cast

Alyson Reed

Ravi Kapoor

Donnie Keshawarz

Sean Blakemore

What it is about

In the near future, mysterious energy surges threaten life across the Solar System. Major Roy McBride, an officer with the United States Space Command, is the son of a celebrated astronaut who vanished years earlier while leading a mission to search for intelligent life at the edge of the Solar System. When evidence points back to that expedition, Roy agrees to travel to Mars in the hope of reaching his father. What begins as a technical assignment turns into an inner journey, as the protagonist faces unexpected dangers and questions about his family, his past and the very purpose of the mission.

How it was made

James Gray and Ethan Gross met while studying at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in the late 1980s. In 2007 Gross proposed a science fiction film inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the pair developed the idea on and off under the working title Lima Project. They pitched the concept in 2013 to the producers who would finance the screenplay, which went through several drafts until 2015. Among the changes, the original setting of Saturn was moved to Neptune to distinguish the film from Interstellar, released in 2014. After consulting theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss to improve scientific accuracy, a plot point about antimatter on Neptune was removed. Brad Pitt signed on in 2016, and filming around Los Angeles ran from August to October 2017. Tommy Lee Jones joined in 2018 after test screenings suggested Pitt's character needed a love interest. Hoyte van Hoytema shot the film and Max Richter composed the score, whose sound design contributed to the film's Oscar nomination.

Reception and legacy

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 2019, and reached American cinemas on September 20 through 20th Century Fox. Critics were largely positive, praising Pitt's performance and the striking visuals, although some found it more contemplative than spectacular. Box office figures vary by source, around 127 or 135 million dollars, against a budget estimated between 80 and 100 million. Gray has linked the story to Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness, and the film is often placed within a current of introspective science fiction that favors reflection over spectacle. Its main official recognition was a nomination for Best Sound Mixing at the Academy Awards.