Ad Astra is a good looking movie but I don't think it really says anything interesting or new. All the stuff about humans perpetually fighting over resources and letting their drive to make new discoveries make them lose sight of what they already have is already in other movies. The question of what the motivations of Tommy Lee Jones's character are is what will keep the viewer interested, but when they're revealed they just aren't compelling enough, or at least, I didn't think they were.
I will say, I like that there wasn't any forced humor in this. I like that it took itself seriously. So many movies these days have unnecessary humor these days, maybe because that makes critics and audiences pull their punches.
Ad Astra was kind of a disappointment. As someone who thinks superhero movies are for children and dislikes how a greater percentage of blockbuster movies these days are superhero movies, I'm inclined to give big budget, adult, non-superhero sci-fi movies a watch because I want more to be made. (My favorite movie is Blade Runner, just so you know where I'm coming from.) But they need to be a better than this. I've read reviews comparing Ad Astra to 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris, but those are far superior. If you're a sci-fi fan, you'll have seen those already. If you're not and you haven't, and you don't mind movies that require a bit of patience, give them a shot.
I will say, I like that there wasn't any forced humor in this. I like that it took itself seriously. So many movies these days have unnecessary humor these days, maybe because that makes critics and audiences pull their punches.
Ad Astra was kind of a disappointment. As someone who thinks superhero movies are for children and dislikes how a greater percentage of blockbuster movies these days are superhero movies, I'm inclined to give big budget, adult, non-superhero sci-fi movies a watch because I want more to be made. (My favorite movie is Blade Runner, just so you know where I'm coming from.) But they need to be a better than this. I've read reviews comparing Ad Astra to 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris, but those are far superior. If you're a sci-fi fan, you'll have seen those already. If you're not and you haven't, and you don't mind movies that require a bit of patience, give them a shot.