# Ad Astra (film)

Ad Astra is a 2019 science fiction film produced, co-written, and directed by James Gray. Starring Brad Pitt (who also produced), Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald 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 saying he wanted to feature "the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie". Pitt signed on to star in April 2017 and the rest of the cast joined later that year. Filming began around Los Angeles that August, lasting through October.
Ad Astra premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 2019, and was theatrically released in the United States on September 20, 2019, by 20th Century Fox. It received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Pitt's performance, and was a box-office disappointment, grossing $135 million worldwide against an $80–100 million budget. At the 92nd Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Sound Mixing.

## Plot

In the early 22nd century, mysterious cosmic ray-bursts emanating from Neptune cause power-surges which threaten to destroy all life in the Solar System. Major Roy McBride is informed that the surge is antimatter in origin and may be connected to the "Lima Project", a space 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 to Mars to use the last active long range communications station unaffected by the bursts in an effort to contact Clifford aboard the "Lima."
At the Moon 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 cruiser Cepheus.
Another surge hits as the Cepheus attempts to land on Mars. Roy assumes command 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 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 the Cepheus is carrying a nuclear 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 antimatter meltdown 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 the Cepheus. 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 the Cepheus 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 the Cepheus back towards Earth.
The data retrieved from the Lima Project base found no other life in the knowable universe, yet it contains a treasure 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.

## Cast

* Brad Pitt as Roy Richard McBride, a major in U.S. Space Command
* Tommy Lee Jones as H. Clifford McBride, Roy's father, and the Commander of the missing Lima Project
* Ruth Negga as Helen Lantos
* Liv Tyler as Eve McBride, Roy's wife
* Donald Sutherland as Colonel Thomas Pruitt
* John Ortiz as Lieutenant General Rivas
* Greg Bryk as Chip Garnes
* Loren Dean as Donald Stanford
* Natasha Lyonne as Tanya Pincus
* John Finn as Brigadier General Stroud
* Kimberly Elise as Lorraine Deavers
* Sean Blakemore as Willie Levant
* Bobby Nish as Franklin Yoshida
* LisaGay Hamilton as Adjutant General Amelia Vogel
* Donnie Keshawarz as Captain Lawrence Tanner

## Production
### Development

Director James Gray first confirmed his plans to write and direct Ad Astra on May 12, 2016, during the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In April 2017, while promoting The Lost City of Z, Gray compared the story of Ad Astra to Joseph Conrad's Heart 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 for Ad Astra would commence on July 17, 2017.

### Casting

On April 10, 2017, Gray confirmed that Brad Pitt would star in Ad Astra. In June, Tommy Lee Jones joined the cast to portray Pitt's lost father. In August, Ruth Negga, John Finn, and Donald Sutherland joined the cast.

### Filming

Principal photography on the film began in mid-August 2017 in Santa Clarita, California, lasting 60 days. Following poor initial test screenings, reshoots were conducted (although Pitt was unavailable), increasing the production budget from $80 million to over $100 million. Charlie Kaufman provided an uncredited rewrite of the voice-over dialogue in the film. Gray did not have control over the film's final cut, which he told The Hollywood Reporter was "as painful a thing as I have experienced outside the death of a loved one."
The visual effects were by Moving 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, and Territory Studio. Max Richter composed the film's score and recorded it at AIR Studios in London. Additionally, Lorne Balfe was asked to write additional music for the score. The orchestra and choir were then recorded at Synchron Stage Vienna. James Gray consulted with experimental film scholars Gregory Zinman and Leo Goldsmith for inspiration on the visuals.

### Music
## Release
### Theatrical

Ad Astra had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 2019. and was released in the United States on September 20, 2019, by 20th Century Fox. 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.

### Home media

Ad Astra was released on digital and Movies Anywhere by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on December 3, 2019, with Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and DVD releases following on December 17.

## Reception
### Box office

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.
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Downton Abbey and Rambo: Last Blood, and was projected to gross $15–20 million from 3,450 theaters in its opening weekend. 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 behind Downton Abbey. The opening was compared to First 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). The film made $10.1 million in its second weekend and $4.4 million in its third, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.

### Critical response

On Rotten 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." On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film has a score of 80 out of 100, based on 56 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an average 2.5 out of 5 stars, with 40% saying they would definitely recommend it.
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 the Chicago 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." David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film an "A" and said, "Ad Astra is one of the most ruminative, withdrawn, and curiously optimistic space epics this side of Solaris. It's also one of the best." Similarly, Xan Brooks of The 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." Variety critic Owen 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." Peter Travers of Rolling 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, particularly 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Solaris (1972), Gravity (2013), and Interstellar (2014). Mark Kermode of The Guardian compared the film to "Event Horizon with interstellar overdrive", noting the similar premise to the 1997 film.
Critic Kurt Loder praised the visual effects but criticized the lack of originality and the patchwork style of the script. Adam Graham writing for The Detroit News found problems with the film, giving it a "C" rating: "This is slow, obtuse film-making with little emotional connection."

### Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result |
| Academy Awards | February 9, 2020 | Best Sound Mixing | Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano | Nominated |
| Art Directors Guild Awards | February 1, 2020 | Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film | Kevin Thompson | Nominated |
| 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 |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 12, 2020 | 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 |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards | December 19, 2019 | Best Actor | Brad Pitt | 7th Place |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 23, 2019 | Best Film | Ad Astra | Nominated |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 23, 2019 | Best Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema | Nominated |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 23, 2019 | Best Score | Max Richter | Nominated |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 23, 2019 | Best Production Design | Kevin Thompson, Kevin Constant, Christa Munro, Alison Sadler, David Scott and Gary Warshaw | Nominated |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 23, 2019 | 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 |
| Hollywood Critics Association | January 9, 2020 | Best Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Nominated |
| 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 |
| Saturn Awards | October 26, 2021 | Best Costume Design | Albert Wolsky | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | October 26, 2021 | 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 |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 9, 2019 | 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 |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 15, 2019 | Best Visual Effects | Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron and Scott R. Fisher | Runner Up |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 15, 2019 | Best Score | Max Richter | Nominated |
| Venice Film Festival | September 7, 2019 | Golden Lion | Ad Astra | Nominated |
| World Stunt Awards | December 15, 2019 | Best High Work | Stunt Team of Ad Astra | Nominated |