10 Reasons Why Ad Astra Deserves More Love as One of the Best Sci-Fi Films of 2010

Five years since its launch, Astra Ad It divided audiences and critics, but it deserves much more love. The sci-fi drama stars Brad Pitt as an astronaut recruited to contact his father, a Rebel commander searching for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life while orbiting Neptune. It received mixed reviews when it was released, and its box office gross of US$135.4 million was a disappointment given its budget and marketing costs.

Astra Ad It’s not what some people thought it would be. It’s not a fast-paced action thriller, nor is it a twisty, cerebral sci-fi story. However, just because Astra Ad Surprised audiences with its slow pace and quiet character-based drama, it doesn’t deserve to be forgotten. There’s a lot to like Ad Astra, and belongs to the debate of the best science fiction films of recent years. It is possible that Astra Ad will become more popular in the coming years as it gradually finds its audience.

10

Brad Pitt delivers one of his best performances

Ad Astra revolves around Pitt’s performance

Brad Pitt won his first Oscar in 2020 for his performance in Quentin Tarantino’s film Once upon a time in Hollywood, but he could easily have been nominated for Astra Ad also. In case anyone started thinking that Pitt was just a charismatic movie star who could sell tickets, Astra Ad reaffirms the fact that he is also one of the best actors of his generation. Few actors could have been as captivating in a film as Astra Ad.

Many of Brad Pitt’s best films feature him playing energetic and comedic eccentrics, such as Fight Club and Inglourious Basterds. Astra Ad It’s much more subtle and quiet. With James Gray’s camera trained on Pitt’s face for long stretches of the film, he is frequently asked to bring his character to life with quiet, stoic facial expressions. Pitt’s acting choices are often surprising but effective. In scenes where he could easily release a rush of cathartic emotions, he is almost robotic in his reserve. This makes it even more impactful when he decides to grow up.

9

The deliberate pace may have alienated some audiences

Slow-paced films are always divisive

Astra Ad It’s not the kind of exciting, fast-paced sci-fi thriller that usually attracts a wide audience. It’s a meditative personal drama about the relationship between father and son and the way people carry childhood trauma throughout their lives. This means that some people may be disappointed with Astra AdThe pacing was slow and deliberate, especially if they were expecting something as exciting as other sci-fi blockbusters.

In general, films that require more patience tend to turn most people off. This is one of the most common criticisms directed Astra Ad. However, for those who can tune in Astra Admeasured frequency, it is a richly rewarding drama. It’s not the kind of movie designed to appeal to a general audience and make hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. It’s supposed to mean a lot to a smaller group of people.

8

Ad Astra’s creative action sequences make it stand out

Ad Astra’s few action scenes are extremely memorable

Although Astra Ad It’s a slow burn, but has some bursts of frantic action. These action sequences feel even more frantic because of the deliberate slowness that surrounds them. Astra Ad begins with Roy falling to Earth amid a mysterious energy surge, but slows down to catch his breath after this sequence. The other action scenes are equally original and beautifully shot.

Astra Ad features a confrontation with a wild baboon, a knife fight in zero gravity, and a sequence where Roy is adrift in space, trying to propel himself back to his ship. Each of these scenes is filmed in a way that emphasizes the specific danger to Roy at that moment. The most exciting action scene of all is undoubtedly the lunar rover chase, when Roy and his team are ambushed by pirates. The diegetic sound is a simple choice that makes the entire chase scene feel real.

7

Ad Astra is visually stunning

Ad Astra is even more beautiful than other big-budget space films

Astra Ad has a divisive critical reputation, but even negative reviews praised the stunning visuals. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema has worked with Christopher Nolan on many of his most ambitious projects, including Interstellar and Oppenheimer. He teams with director James Gray to create a spectacular vision of outer space that deserves to be discussed alongside the best science fiction films of the 21st century.

Although many films set in space seem to refer to the same manual, Astra Ad does a few things to distinguish itself from the competition. There are still many scenes that utilize empty space, as all outer space sci-fi films do, but there are also some interesting uses of perspective, light leaks, and reflections. Astra Ad also contrasts its wide shots with extreme close-ups, particularly of Roy, that take the audience into the mind of an astronaut alone in an endless cosmos.

6

The marketing campaign misled the public

Ad Astra trailers come into play

Astra AdThe dismal box office returns may have something to do with its misleading marketing campaign. This could also be one of the main reasons why some people felt cheated when they finally saw Astra Ad. The trailers seem to sell the film as a spiritual successor to Interstellar, with the same mind-bending atmosphere and compelling mystery that can only be solved deep within the solar system.

Astra Ad and Interstellar in fact, they don’t share much in common beyond their superficial similarities. Although Christopher Nolan tends to entertain and excite his audience every minute, Astra Ad is content to sit in relative silence for long periods and let the audience get worked up. The other problem with Astra AdMarketing is what exaggerated the roles of Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga and Tommy Lee Jones. In fact, all of these players are smaller compared to Brad Pitt.

5

The references to Kubrick and Conrad are beautifully done

Ad Astra combines 2001: A Space Odyssey with Heart Of Darkness

Astra Ad is far from the only science fiction film inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it’s a little more obvious with its allusions to Stanley Kubrick’s classic. Both films feature a protagonist traveling to investigate a signal coming from the outer reaches of the solar system, via the moon. Astra Ad also takes some of its visual inspiration from 2001. These references are more than superficial, as Astra Ad tries to evoke the same sense of grandeur to explore its human themes.

The other big influence Astra Ad appears to be by Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness. As Apocalypse Now, Ad Astra reinterprets Heart of Darkness in a different setting, but many of the themes are the same. The exploration of the unknown, the rogue military commander, and the themes of corruption and evil are all there. Astra Ad wears its influences with pride, but approaches them with enough creativity to make them feel fresh.

4

Tommy Lee Jones plays his role perfectly

Jones is the only Ad Astra actor who takes the focus away from Brad Pitt

Tommy Lee Jones doesn’t have much screen time in Ad Astra, but he still plays a vital role as Roy McBride’s father. Clifford McBride is a legendary astronaut who has done more to help humanity progress in outer space than most, but he has spent the last 29 years searching for signs of intelligent life while orbiting Neptune. Its specter hovers Astra Ad long before he finally appears, and Jones doesn’t disappoint.

Roy’s fateful confrontation with his father is one of the most captivating scenes in Ad Astra, even more so than the thrilling action sequences. Brad Pitt spends a lot of time Astra Ad isolated and alone, it’s a refreshing change of pace to see him in such an intimate conversation. The whole story develops towards the meeting of father and son, and Jones guarantees that this bet is worth it. There’s a deep sadness in his characterization of Clifford that makes a villain suddenly seem like a poor idiot.

3

James Gray creates a captivating air of tension

Ad Astra happily takes its time

One of the reasons that Astra Ad is able to move with such delicate slowness that James Gray promotes a tense atmosphere throughout. Brad Pitt’s beautiful visuals and lively performance play their part, but would be wasted without the friction created by the ongoing mystery of Roy’s father. Once Roy finds out his father might be alive Astra Ad is on the way to the meeting, but Gray postpones it for a while.

Even though Ray seems destined to confront his father, there are many mysteries still hanging in the air. What was in the message he sent back to SpaceCom? What are his feelings towards Roy? How will Roy react to seeing his father in the flesh for the first time in almost 30 years? In addition to these issues, Gray injects even more nervous energy into some of the spaceship sequencesbringing to life the danger of space travel.

2

Ad Astra’s visual design is deeply engaging

Ad Astra is more realistic than most science fiction films

Although Astra Ad is set in the distant future and is visually inspired by science fiction classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and Star Wars, has its own unique design. Although some science fiction films present themselves as intentionally supernatural and unknowable, Astra Ad looks authentic. For example, the moon base looks like a train station or an airport, and there are no futuristic leaps in fashion design.

In addition to creating a vision of the future that seems within our reach, Astra Ad it also creates an engaging atmosphere in other ways. James Gray uses lens flares and jerky camera movements in shots that could have been achieved with an abundance of CGI. This attention to detail makes everything feel heavy and urgent. Astra Ad is much more immersive and realistic than most science fiction films and other films involving space travel.

1

Ad Astra may suffer comparisons with other astronaut films from the 2010s

Ad Astra is different from other blockbusters from the same period

The 2010s saw a miniature boom in films about astronauts. After the immense box office success of Alfonso Cuarón’s film, Gravity, a trend began to emerge in Hollywood. Interstellar, Hidden Figures, The Martian, High Life, Passengers and Life everyone followed. Damien Chazelle’s commercial disappointment First Man it was a big indication that the bubble had burst. Astra Ad it was released a year later and suffered the same fate.

The abundance of astronaut films in the 2010s may have meant that audiences became burnt out on the genre, but Astra Ad it could also have suffered when compared to those films. It doesn’t have the infinite excitement of Gravity, the accessible humor of The Martian or the mind-bending non-linear tricks of Interstellar. Astra Ad it doesn’t fit neatly alongside other films released around the same time. It is a unique gem that deserves to be appreciated on its own terms.