... First, there was Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Now he delivers another memorable performance as taciturn astronaut Roy McBride, who is haunted by the long shadow cast by his father, Cliff McBride, played by a grizzled Tommy Lee Jones. Sixteen years ago, Cliff led a mission to Neptune called the Lima Project in the hope of discovering intelligent life. The ship was lost, and Cliff presumed dead, although an agency called United States Space Command believes he may be alive, living à la Colonel Kurtz. The Lima Project triggered deadly anti-matter surges that threaten to destroy Earth and the entire Solar System. Roy is recruited by Space Command to travel to Neptune and stop the surges. With his nerves of steel and extraordinary skills, Roy could be humanity's last hope.
Pitt's performance is internalized, powerful and full of gravitas, conveying pain and longing with little or no words. Roy is walled off emotionally, regretful for not being a better husband. Numb rather than angry, he forgives his father for not being there in the service of science.
Ad Astra is set in the not too distant future. Mars is a divided planet with murderous space pirates roaming about. The production design reminded me of the Moon Landing images, with a nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Director James Gray also helmed the excellent The Lost City of Z (2016). Like that picture, Ad Astra takes its time in developing characters, and gradually slipping in plot details, an expository style with action set pieces that doesn't necessarily result in a big dramatic denouement. Characters are driven by a higher calling at the expense of family.
