| Ad Astra | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Gray |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Max Richter |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
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Running time | 124 minutes[2] |
| Countries | United States Brazil |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80–100 million[3] |
| Box office | $135.2 million[4] |
Ad Astra is a 2019science fiction film, directed byJames Gray and written by Gray andEthan Gross. StarringBrad Pitt,Tommy Lee Jones,Ruth Negga,Liv Tyler, andDonald Sutherland, it follows an astronaut who ventures into space in search of his lost father, whose obsessive quest to discover intelligent alien life at all costs threatens the Solar System and all life on Earth.
The project was announced in early 2016, with Gray stating he wanted to feature "the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie". Pitt signed on to star in August 2016 and the rest of the cast, save Tyler, joined the next year. Filming began around Los Angeles that August, lasting through October. Tyler was added to the cast in 2018 after unsatisfactory test screenings mandated a love interest for Pitt's character.
Ad Astra premiered at theVenice Film Festival on August 29, 2019, and was theatrically released in the United States on September 20, by20th Century Fox. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Pitt's performance,[5] It underperformed at the box office, grossing $135.2 million against an$80–100 million budget. At the92nd Academy Awards, it was nominated forBest Sound Mixing.
In the early 22nd century, mysterious cosmic ray-bursts emanating fromNeptune cause power-surges which threaten to destroy all life in the Solar System. Major Roy McBride is informed that the surge isantimatter in origin and may be connected to the "Lima Project", aspace station in orbit around Neptune, sent twenty-nine years earlier to search for intelligent life and fuelled by antimatter. Roy's father, Clifford McBride, was the project's leader, a man considered a hero in SpaceCom history. Contact was lost sixteen years into its mission. Roy agrees to travel toMars to use the last active long range communications station unaffected by the bursts in an effort to contact Clifford aboard the "Lima."
At theMoon SpaceCom base, Roy is told in secret by Colonel Pruitt that should he fail to make contact with the "Lima Project", the station will have to be destroyed. Roy obtains passage to Mars on the SpaceCom cruiserCepheus.
On the way to Mars theCepheus attend a distress call from a research station. During the investigation the captain is killed, the ship continues to Mars but is hit by a surge as it attempts to land. Roy assumes command from the overwhelmed (now in charge) first officer and calmly lands the ship. After securing himself in the underground SpaceCom complex, Roy begins recording officially pre-written voice messages and transmitting them to the Lima Project in hopes that his father, Clifford, will respond. After an attempt, Roy ignores the official message and sends a personal message to his father, in the hope he will see him one day. Roy is then told he will be returning to Earth, his 'personal connection' making him unsuitable for further service.
Roy is visited by facility director Helen Lantos, who reveals that her parents were Lima Project team members. She shows him classified footage revealing that Clifford's team mutinied and attempted to return to Earth, causing him to shut off their life-support systems; her parents were among those killed and that the 'hero' story was created to hide the truth. She also admits that theCepheus is carrying anuclear weapon and has now been requisitioned for a secret 'seek and destroy' mission without Roy. Roy decides that he should deal with his father. Lantos facilitates Roy getting to the party's rocket as it prepares to depart.
Roy climbs aboard as the rocket takes off and is immediately discovered by the crew, who are unintentionally killed in the confrontation. During the 79-day journey to Neptune, a solitary Roy reflects on his relationship with his father and with his estranged wife, Eve. He finally arrives at the station and plants the nuclear bomb before encountering Clifford, the sole survivor of the Lima Project. Clifford explains that the surges are coming from an antimattermeltdown caused by the mutiny. He also admits to Roy that he never really cared about his family and does not consider Earth his home.
Roy copies data gathered about numerous planets by the Lima Project team and persuades Clifford to accompany him back to Earth. He arms the bomb and they climb out on the station's outer hull to return to theCepheus. Clifford suddenly launches them into space using his spacesuit's thrusters. The old man pleads for Roy to untether and leave him; Roy reluctantly does so and watches his father drift away into space. He propels himself back to theCepheus using his own spacesuit. Roy sends a message back to SpaceCom to ensure that if his return journey should fail that SpaceCom makes all effort to retrieve the data from the Lima Project he has recovered. Roy uses the shock wave from the nuclear explosion from the station as his primary propellent to propel theCepheus back towards Earth.
The data retrieved from the Lima Project base found no other life in theknowable universe, yet it contains atreasure trove of information on many 'magnificent'worlds. Roy is entranced by their beauty and wonder, something that was lost on his father. He returns to Earth with a newfound optimism he was previously lacking, meeting with his estranged wife again.
Director and co-writer James Gray had originally met co-writer Ethan Gross while attending theUSC School of Cinematic Arts together in the late 1980s. In June 2007, Gross contacted Gray, pitching the idea of a sci-fi film inspired by2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). The two worked on the story intermittently, referring to it initially asLima Project. On February 21, 2013, Gray and Gross would pitch the concept to producersRodrigo Teixeira and Sophie Mas of RT Pictures atBabbo, an Italian restaurant inManhattan. After Teixeira and Mas agreed to finance the screenwriting process, Gray and Gross would submit several drafts between November 29, 2013, and May 22, 2015, partly to solicit feedback from producers and colleagues: some of the changes made in this period included changing the character of John Gates, a father figure to main character Roy McBride, to Roy's actual father, before further rewriting the story so that the father was killed while in a cryogenic state, rather than in an active confrontation in earlier drafts. In addition, the story had originally been set on Saturn, but the release ofInterstellar (2014) caused the setting to be moved to Neptune to draw more of a distinction between the two films.[6]
Gray first confirmed his plans to write and directAd Astra on May 12, 2016, during the2016 Cannes Film Festival.[7] Six months later, Gray would consult theoretical physicistLawrence Krauss to assist in improving the film's scientific accuracy: one major change that resulted from this was the removal of a plot point regardingantimatter being found on Neptune.[6]
In April 2017, while promotingThe Lost City of Z, Gray compared the story ofAd Astra toJoseph Conrad'sHeart of Darkness. Gray also mentioned that he intended for the film to feature "the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie and to basically say, 'Space is awfully hostile to us'". Gray also confirmed that filming forAd Astra would commence on July 17, 2017.[8]
In August 2016, while Gray was screeningThe Lost City of Z to producer Brad Pitt, the former had a conversation with the latter to discussAd Astra. Pitt expressed interest and agreed to both star in and co-produce the film;[6] on April 10, 2017, Gray publicly confirmed that Pitt would star inAd Astra.[8] In June, Tommy Lee Jones joined the cast to portray Pitt's lost father.[9] In August, Ruth Negga, John Finn, and Donald Sutherland joined the cast.[10][11][12]
Principal photography on the film began on August 10, 2017 inSanta Clarita, California, lasting 60 days.[6][13][14][15] After initial post-production work, test screenings were held on May 30 and July 18, 2018;[6] following poor reception, reshoots were conducted (although Pitt was unavailable), increasing the production budget from $80 million to over $100 million.[3] The character of Eve, originally named Liv (the name being changed to avoid confusion with her actress,Liv Tyler), was added as a love interest, and new scenes were added to the film; the according reshoots began on March 15, 2019, and lasted for seven days.[6]Charlie Kaufman provided an uncredited rewrite of the voice-over dialogue in the film.[16] Gray did not have control over the film's final cut, which he toldThe Hollywood Reporter was "as painful a thing as I have experienced outside the death of a loved one."[17]
The visual effects were byMoving Picture Company,Method Studios, Mr. X,Weta Digital, Brainstorm Digital, and Capital T, and supervised by Allen Maris, Christopher Downs,Guillaume Rocheron, Ryan Tudhope, Aidan Fraser, Olaf Wendt,Anders Langlands, Eran Dinur, Jamie Hallett, andTerritory Studio.[18]Max Richter composed the film's score and recorded it atAIR Studios inLondon. Additionally,Lorne Balfe was asked to write additional music for the score. The orchestra and choir were then recorded atSynchron Stage Vienna.[19][20] James Gray consulted with experimental film scholars Gregory Zinman and Leo Goldsmith for inspiration on the visuals.[21]
The film's post-production was completedc. August 7, 2019, when Pitt recorded the rewritten voice-over dialogue.[6]
Ad Astra had its world premiere at theVenice Film Festival on August 29, 2019.[22][23] and was released in the United States on September 20, 2019, by20th Century Fox.[24] The film received an early release in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France on September 18. It had previously been scheduled for January 11, 2019, and then for May 24 before being pushed back.[25]
Ad Astra was released on digital andMovies Anywhere by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on December 3, 2019, withBlu-ray,4K Ultra HD, andDVD releases following on December 17.[26]
Ad Astra grossed $50.2 million in the United States and Canada and $85 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $135.2 million, against an estimated production budget of $80 million.[4]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongsideDownton Abbey andRambo: Last Blood, and was projected to gross$15–20 million from 3,450 theaters in its opening weekend.[27][28] The film made $7.2 million on its first day, including $1.5 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $19 million, finishing second behindDownton Abbey.[29] The opening was compared toFirst Man (2018), another drama involving outer space which received high praise from critics but a lukewarm audience reception, resulting in a muted box office turnout despite its cast and budget.Deadline Hollywood deduced the film would lose $30 million off a projected $150 million final worldwide gross (a figure it would ultimately fall short of).[3] The film made $10.1 million in its second weekend and $4.4 million in its third, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.[30][31]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 399 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Ad Astra takes a visually thrilling journey through the vast reaches of space while charting an ambitious course for the heart of the bond between parent and child."[32] OnMetacritic, which uses aweighted average, the film has a score of 80 out of 100, based on 56 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[33] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled byPostTrak gave it an average 2.5 out of 5 stars, with 40% saying they would definitely recommend it.[3]
Brian Tallerico, writing for RogerEbert.com, gave the film four out of four stars, writing that "This is rare, nuanced storytelling, anchored by one of Brad Pitt's career-best performances and remarkable technical elements on every level."Richard Roeper of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, writing, "In the hands of director and co-writer James Gray,Ad Astra is one of the most beautiful films of the year, even when it makes little sense and even when Brad Pitt's performance veers between one of his all-time best and one of his all-time not-best."[34] David Ehrlich ofIndieWire gave the film an "A" and said, "Ad Astra is one of the most ruminative, withdrawn, and curiously optimistic space epics this side ofSolaris. It's also one of the best."[35] Similarly, Xan Brooks ofThe Guardian gave the film five out of five stars, called it a "superb space-opera", and praised Pitt's performance, saying, "Pitt embodies McBride with a series of deft gestures and a minimum of fuss. His performance is so understated it hardly looks like acting at all."[36]Variety criticOwen Gleiberman praised Pitt's performance, explaining, "Gray proves beyond measure that he's got the chops to make a movie like this. He also has a vision, of sorts – one that's expressed, nearly inadvertently, in the metaphor of that space antenna."[1]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone rated the film four out of five stars and referred to it as "absolutely enthralling" and praised Gray for his direction and his unique approach to the science fiction genre, as well as the cinematography and Pitt's performance (whom he referred to as "marvel of nuanced feeling"). He also drew comparisons of the film's tone and themes to other notable films set in space, particularly2001: A Space Odyssey (1968),Solaris (1972),Gravity (2013), andInterstellar (2014).[37] Mark Kermode ofThe Guardian compared the film to "Event Horizon with interstellar overdrive", noting the similar premise to the 1997 film.[38]
CriticKurt Loder praised the visual effects but criticized the lack of originality and the patchwork style of the script.[39] Adam Graham writing forThe Detroit News found problems with the film, giving it a "C" rating: "This is slow, obtuse film-making with little emotional connection."[40]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | February 9, 2020 | Best Sound Mixing | Gary Rydstrom,Tom Johnson andMark Ulano | Nominated | [41] |
| Art Directors Guild Awards | February 1, 2020 | Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film | Kevin Thompson | Nominated | [42] |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 22, 2019 | Best Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 14, 2019 | Best Use of Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 12, 2020 | Best Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Nominated | [43] |
| Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie | Ad Astra | Nominated | |||
| Dragon Awards | 2020 | Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie | Ad Astra | Nominated | |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards | December 19, 2019 | Best Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Brad Pitt | 7th Place | |||
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 23, 2019 | Best Film | Ad Astra | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema | Nominated | |||
| Best Score | Max Richter | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Kevin Thompson, Kevin Constant, Christa Munro, Alison Sadler, David Scott and Gary Warshaw | Nominated | |||
| Best Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Nominated | |||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 10, 2020 | Best Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards | March 14, 2021 | Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | Ad Astra – Max Richter | Nominated | [44] |
| Hollywood Critics Association | January 9, 2020 | Best Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Nominated | [45] |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | January 2, 2020 | Best Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Nominated | |
| Indiewire Critics' Poll | December 16, 2019 | Best Lead Actor | Brad Pitt | Nominated | |
| Jupiter Awards | August 29, 2020 | Best International Film | Ad Astra | Nominated | |
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | January 6, 2020 | Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Won | |
| Saturn Awards | October 26, 2021 | Best Science Fiction Film Release | Ad Astra | Nominated | [46] |
| Best Costume Design | Albert Wolsky | Nominated | |||
| Best Film Special / Visual Effects | Scott R. Fisher and Allen Maris | Nominated | |||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 9, 2019 | Best Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema | Nominated | [47] |
| Best Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Won | |||
| Sant Jordi Awards | April 23, 2020 | Best Actor in a Foreign Film | Brad Pitt | Won | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | December 16, 2019 | Best Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Won | [48] |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 15, 2019 | Best Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Runner Up | |
| Best Score | Max Richter | Nominated | |||
| Venice Film Festival | September 7, 2019 | Golden Lion | Ad Astra | Nominated | [45] |
| World Stunt Awards | December 15, 2019 | Best High Work | Stunt Team ofAd Astra | Nominated |
