Exit Survey: ‘Ad Astra’
James Gray’s “Ad Astra” opened this weekend, and the Inside The Film Room staff is here to give you their rapid reactions to the Brad Pitt-led space epic.
Your Tweet-Length Review
Zach Goins: “Ad Astra” is first and foremost a technical masterpiece. The cinematography, sound editing/mixing and score are beautiful. BUT… the plot and dialogue leave much to be desired. With hints of “Gravity” and “Arrival,” it’s all about mood — a deep, measured character study led by Pitt.
Favorite Scene
ZG: Right off the bat you’re thrown in with the falling to Earth scene from the trailers. Talk about diving right in. As Brad Pitt tumbles down to Earth all the way from outer space, it’s equally beautiful and terrifying – but 100 percent dizzying.
Most Memeable Moment
ZG: Hm… not much to work with in such a serious movie, but I’d have to go with the space baboon’s head exploding. Pretty solid pick.
Biggest Surprise
ZG: You mean other than savage space monkeys? I was just surprised in general by the tone of the film. The trailers made it seem like more of a space action-adventure, but it ended up being closer to a heavy drama.
What You Wanted More/Less Of
ZG: Again… more space baboons. More moon dune buggies and space pirates would have been cool, too. For real though, I could have done with just another 30 minutes of those visuals with Max Richter’s score.
Who’s the Best Lonely Astronaut?
ZG: Pitt’s facing some stiff competition… McConaughey, Bullock, Damon, to name a few. That’s elite company, and I don’t think Pitt’s topping Sandy B in “Gravity.”
Final Grade (Out of 100)
ZG: 75 out of 100
Zach Goins View All
Zach Goins is a member of the North Carolina Film Critics Association based in Raleigh, N.C. Zach co-founded Inside The Film Room in 2018 and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the website and co-host of the podcast. Zach also serves as a film critic for CLTure.org.