Ad Astra

Spoiler-free!

This intimate and lingering space drama begins with thrilling words for science fiction fans: "In the near future." We follow the endeavors of Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) astronaut, and son of legendary astronaut Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) as he does his duty, always steady, calm, and sure. Through a vaguely noir-like narration of inner dialogue, he tells us that his persona of contentment is a farce; he is frustrated, unfulfilled and despondent. He needs purpose.

Written and directed by James Grey, with Ethan Gross as a co-writer.

Then dangerous waves of energy begin to hit Earth from the direction of Neptune. 40 years ago, Roy's father was on mission there, directed to scan the distant galaxies for signs of intelligent life. But communication was lost and the crew presumed dead after 10 years. Now the high ups believe McBride may still be alive, and they task Roy with getting a message to him. To do that he must travel to the Mars outpost via the Moon, and the journey promises danger and hardships. That, Roy can handle. His dad being alive? He's not so sure.

The first big clue that I was in for a treat with this film was when the high ups are instructing Roy on his mission and they say that to avoid suspicion (yes, it's a secret mission) he will fly commercially to the Moon. As a tourist. As you do. Once there, Moon Pirates are involved in a chase over the Moon's surface. It's beautiful, it's thrilling, it's all I could have hoped for. And through it all Roy remains the focus as a fascinating character. He has a reputation for calm; his heart rate never rises over 80 BPM, even in intense, life-threatening situations, but a breaking point is on the horizon which he's speeding toward.

Space films need to get on board with this direction; I would've watched an entire film about Moon Pirates. 

For once my being a science fiction fan backfired on me, because I noticed occasional holes in the space aspects. That's something that ruins movies like Gravity for me, but in this case, I tend not to care. The difference? Ad Astra never claims perfect logic or sound astrodynamics as Gravity did. The focus is on Roy, his quest, the people and challenges he meets, the cold beauty that surrounds him, and the mystery of what he will find; the fact that most of it is accurate and scientifically sound is a bonus. The movie is much more interested in being honest in the abstract, than by-the-rules in the physical. If the priorities are defined, which they are, it's easy to suspend disbelief as needed.

In tone and pacing, it begs comparison with 2001: A Space Odyssey more than anything else, with more modern sensibilities and tighter action sequences. And one huge difference: it looks at humanity in an intimate way. Instead of focusing on lofty speculation, it drives itself far out into the dim and menacing reaches of space, then turns around and looks fondly back on the Earth and the individuals who populate it; stretching eagerly towards the heavens only to find there a deeper love and appreciation for what it dreams of leaving behind. That is exemplary of what I love about science fiction and space exploration in film.

The heart of the most pure science fiction is still a human one.

It starts with a small and simple but potent idea, and through the lens of the genre, magnifies it until it feels a big as the universe itself. That is the purpose of the science fiction genre, if there ever was one. Nothing else can take truths and expand them so far without bending them out of shape. And this movie does it so confidently. The idea is simple, and the execution smart, and everything the movie does points to it. When Roy meets the Director of Operations on Mars, (Ruth Negga in a brief but dense part) she muses about how she visited Earth once. What would that mean to someone not born there, the movie wonders. How would it impact them?

It also shows us characters who juxtapose with Roy. Donald Sutherland is a man whose physical weakness holds him back; and Loren Dean is a man whose mental weakness does the same. Loren Dean must love space movies. He's been in four, including playing NASA hero John Aaron in Apollo 13. He's like an Easter Egg for dedicated fans. Liv Tyler has a small role, and Tommy Lee Jones' performance was scary-good, but Brad Pitt is understandably the best of the lot. Though Roy is reserved, Pitt's performance ensures that it's never hard to understand him underneath it all. To the point where the narration feels nearly redundant. It's still useful though, to maintain a constant style and to delve deeper than facial tics and minute expressions are capable.

The only thing better than the performance of this stoic and complex character, is the character itself. 

As a fan, I don't much care that there are technical flaws here. But as a critic, I must admit they are there, detracting from the film. Whether those flaws impact enjoyment will depend on the viewer; as for me, the more I muse on the deep and meaningful beauty of the work, the less significant those little slip-ups seem. What I'm left with is a film I love as if it were flawless, while fully aware that there were a few things about it that passingly bothered me. A second view may see those things continue to dissipate, or perhaps make a resurgence. I am unsure which the future holds, but I can't wait to find out.

I'm already eager to see those gorgeously rendered space scenes and extraterrestrial lands again. To follow Roy on his strange journey again -- closer this time -- and to weigh every nuance as it passes by in its striking muted beauty. With all that adventurous and intimidating wonder, the quiet, regal honesty of the central performance, and the intimate story that is wrapped around it so tenderly, Ad Astra barely lifts a finger before it achieves heights worthy of its name.

Upcoming Movie Roundup - September

In August, I only saw one of the four movies I was especially interested in, but that one already improved the movie year significantly. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (review) was wonderfully entertaining and moving, a great character piece, and a stylishly laid-back epic. It may be my favorite film of the year! I still need and plan to see The Peanut Butter Falcon, Blinded by the Light, and Ready or Not, but 2019 is maybe beginning to look up.

And the looking up continues into September, where there are two must-see movies for me! What looks good to you this month? Hope you all had a wonderful summer!



It Chapter Two
In theaters Sept 6th; R
Must see of the month number one! I've been anticipating this one since Chapter One released and even though some are saying it's not the greatest, that was said about Chapter One too, so I plan on enjoying it all even if it's flawed. I love the long run time and I love that it will give me a good excuse to rewatch Chapter One beforehand. The cast looks great, (I'm glad the kids are back too) it looks epic and not too scary for me (hopefully! haha) -- I think I'm ready!




The Goldfinch
In theaters Sept 13th; R
I'm not usually so interested in straight-up dramas, but this one's cast grabbed my attention. Ansel Elgort, Aneurin Barnard and Finn Wolfhard playing the same character, Luke Wilson, and Nicole Kidman to name a few. And it's based on a book so the plot is likely to be worthwhile -- though I have to say, based on the trailer it's hard to tell what the movie is really about. Someone stole the painting before the explosion or something? (Maybe I'm supposed to read the book first, haha.) The cast will get me to watch it, and we'll see for the rest!




Freaks
Limited release Sept 13th; R
I'm going to keep this one on my radar for whenever it comes to streaming. Could be interesting (reviews suggest it's good) or it could be not my thing. Or mildly my thing which is most likely. As long as they don't stay inside the whole movie, I expect it'll be worth a watch! Looks kind of like what an indie X-Men movie might be like.




Monos
Limited release Sept 13th; R
Nice looking trailer, but what does it all mean? What's the plot, the point? I guess we have to see the movie to find out. Not exactly motivating for me though I'm sure the whole thing will be visually fantastic.




Ad Astra
In theaters Sept 20th; PG-13
I was already on board when this trailer released because I will see anything that's set in space, and this one is particularly epic-looking. And now, since I saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and liked Brad Pitt in it so much, I'm double on board, and excited to see another potentially great character and performance from him. Tommy Lee Jones, Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, and Donald Sutherland round out the cast. Also, Loren Dean likes to come out of the woodwork for scifi films, doesn't he? Anyway, this could be a favorite of the year for me, if it goes well. Looks beautiful, with a broad scope and intimate detail. Must-see number two!




Downton Abbey
In theaters Sept 20th; PG
This has no appeal for me but I know there has to still be people out there who are sad about Downton Abbey ending and are probably over the moon about this film. It so fan-service-y but I guess that should be expected. It exists to serve fans. So y'all enjoy.




Villains
Limited release Sept 20th; R
A horror comedy with Maika Monroe and Bill Skarsgård? Sounds like a yes to me! Seems like the sort of plot that would only work if done really well, but it being a comedy is going in the right direction. I expect it would be a fun watch even if it's not exceptional. Maika Monroe rules stylish horror films and Bill Skarsgård should be in all the movies.




21 Bridges
In theaters Sept 27th; NR
The plot is like the end of Batman Begins where they close off the island to contain all the escaped villains. Otherwise, this doesn't have a big draw. Even the movie thinks its biggest draw is the Russo Brothers producing. Producing doesn't mean much, I'd rather know who directed, or who wrote it. Nice to see Chadwick Boseman do non-superhero stuff but he might as well be playing T'Challa here too. One thing I really do like the look of here is that it's not a blatant anti-police movie. It's just an action-thriller about justice, plain and simple. I'd watch it; depends on reception as to when.




Abominable
In theaters Sept 27th; PG
I'm willing to give this one a chance but to be honest it doesn't look very good. If the movie has as much cliche writing and benign jokes as the trailer, it'll be the sort of thing that only kids will enjoy. Making animated flicks to only appeal to kids is such a waste.

Jason Bourne

Major Spoilers.

You know his name... but they still felt the need to make it the title.

Bourne's story was pretty well wrapped up last we saw him, so this movie has to make up new information to draw him back into the fight again. It comes from Nicky (Julia Stiles) who was just minding her own business hacking the CIA when she came across an interesting (new!) fact: Bourne's father Richard Webb was involved in Treadstone. This is important to Jason because of... reasons, so he starts chasing down leads and baddies again. Meanwhile, upstarty and serious CIA agent Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) and the CIA Director (Tommy Lee Jones) catch wind of Bourne and can't resist giving chase -- in spite of the long track record of disaster for all others who have tried.

You know what this movie's problem is? Bourne Legacy. That is literally its problem. This whole movie seems to exist as some kind of incarnate indignation over Legacy's existence. It's been nine years since Ultimatum; a satisfying ending to an excellent trilogy. Now, back for no reason, Matt Damon's Bourne is older and significantly less interesting than he used to be. The movie's plot is basic and a thinly veiled excuse to bring the character back, and nothing brought to the movie brings anything worthwhile, or even new or interesting, to the table.

In some instances, quite the opposite.

In fact, they spent most of their time taking away things the franchise has given us so far. Maybe I was alone with this (I doubt it) but I personally liked the open ending of Ultimatum; an implication the there was more adventure to be had, with a happy ending somewhere nearby. I liked to imagine that once thing quieted down Jason and Nicky got together and managed to live a little. But no, this movie says. Nicky gets killed so that we can have more, bigger car chases and blurry fist fights. And no, we can't rest leaving the plot as a smart spy conspiracy; we have to throw in from left field some weird stuff about Jason's dad... to make it personal I guess? Jase, Shark. Shark, Jase.

But as offensive as all that ridiculousness is, the biggest offense here is simply that the movie just doesn't bother to be as good as any of Jason's other outings. Personally, I found that each sequel to be slightly worse, but at least they all fit together as a cohesive unit; this one tries to attach itself to the trilogy, while having more in common with Jeremy Renner's spin-off -- except without the freshness of a new face and story line. I enjoy Legacy immensely, but I do consider it to be on a lower quality level than the other Bourne movies. This one is on that step down with its general quality and being, and can't even manage to be fun and entertaining to make up for it.

I appreciate what you've done in the past, but if this is what you're gonna give us now, I'd rather someone else have a shot.

Jason Bourne has always been a great character, and Matt Damon seems incapable of failing to pull the weight of any movie, but he sure does come close here. He gets very few lines (he's never been chatty, but this is like BvS Superman-level-bad), and even when he does speak words they have nothing to do with his character at all, and are delivered so weirdly flat... I just don't get it. Why did they jump the shark to bring a personal issue to this movie if they weren't going to make Jason sympathetic, and develop the character in new ways? Yeah, he's still good at and driving, and hiding in a crowd, and punching people, and looking good with blood on his face, but it turns out that those are not things that resonate with an audience on a personal level.

I should also mention that Vikander I've always enjoyed in movies so far, but she does nothing to help out this film either. Her accent kept slipping through, her character was way too deadpan, and this is hardly her fault, but the twist of her being the bad guy in the end was poorly timed. It should have been earlier or later. Tommy Lee Jones was decent for what he had to work with. I was very impressed by his death scene, actually. On board with the wooden line delivery was Stiles. That was the only upside of her being in the film so briefly. Vincent Cassel is the obligatory cool and mysterious asset who's sicced on Bourne, and Rogue One's Riz Ahmed makes an appearance too.

*cue disappointed and resigned sigh*

Cinematography and action is the film's biggest pro. There's still a shaky-cam during a lot of the action -- sometimes it felt like the camera was being punched along with people's faces -- but that's something we've come to expect, and it wasn't too hard to follow. Otherwise there were a few memorable shots. And the climatic chase and subsequent fight scene was a well-done and entertaining piece of action. What was in the rest of movie up til then could hardly be considered action at all, let alone entertaining action.

This is a little sad. I kinda just feel sorry for everyone... mainly the characters who got dragged back out of a nice retirement for basically nothing -- just to join the ranks of "Franchises With Too Many Sequels" and films that suffer slow deaths via half-hearted sorta-reboots. Leaving well enough alone has never been in Bourne's wheelhouse, but one might have hoped that it would be for filmmakers who really care about his story and making good movies. This movie is perhaps not nearly as terrible as it could have been, but it's a long way from justifying its unnecessary and uninspired return.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Seeing Civil War in the theater sparked another re-watch of Steve's first adventure The First Avenger, and I figured it was about time I gave it a review. My opinion of it has shifted slowly over the past 5 years, as with each viewing my perspective was slightly different because of the films that came after it, but it has always been essentially the same -- a really quite good movie.

The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan!

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is the biggest Boy Scout character maybe ever -- certainly in the MCU -- and as such it's difficult to give his character conflict. Because he knows what's right and does it, it's hard to find a tight spot to put him in that would create a compelling story. His origin story deals with that problem in a way no later movie could. Instead of it being about how he fights for truth and liberty and how he helps people, this movie focuses on his struggle to get to a place where he is actually capable of doing those "Captain America" things.

We know that his heart always is and always will be in the right place, and The First Avenger proves that. As a skinny sickly kid he determinedly stands up to bullies to the point where he seems almost insane to do it, and relentlessly tries to make it into the army. I guess he knows what his heart is capable of. And fortunately so does Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci) who sees his spirit and his goodness and gives him a chance. To the raised eyebrows of Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) and Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) he is chosen to be the first test subject for a serum that turns people into super-soldiers.

"There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them."

Stanley Tucci is always a lightening aspect in any movie, and here he's delightful. As soon as Steve gets a body with strength to match his heart and soul though, Erskine is killed and the serum stolen by Richard Armitage! (This movie has so many great "hey, it's that person!" bit-parts. It's fantastic.) I love the proceeding chase scene. Suddenly Steve is who he was always supposed to be, and he immediately uses his new-found physical strength to do good. The scene action-wise is sometimes quite silly and no one had figured out Cap's fighting style yet, so it's missing the visual "oomph" it could have had, but I still love it.

The whole movie's production is often distractingly cheap in fact. Obviously there wasn't enough confidence in it to warrant the kind of budget a Marvel movie gets today. Green screens are obvious, fighting and stunts are cheesy and fake, and I remember the 3D as the worst I've seen. But, like Cap, this movie has its heart in the right place. It dwindles on the action and visuals side, but focuses admirably on character.

Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.

I didn't fall in love with Chris Evans' Cap until The Winter Soldier, but he's always done the part nearly flawlessly, and he hit on it so well with this first try. He's so convincingly kind and endearing and you can't help but feel so sad for him at times (when he's stuck selling bonds and drawing himself as a dancing monkey springs to mind) but he still exudes strength and bravery and is the kind of person you'd be afraid of if you were a bad guy. Hugo Weaving as the bad guy hams it up more than he should have, by the way. The movie has a strong comic book tone to it, but it's halfway in a way that fits with the later films, and halfway not.

Bucky, (Sebastian Stan) I didn't fall in love with until Civil War. When I first saw this movie I barely noticed him. He was a sounding board for Steve's early conflict, then he blended into the Howling Commandos, and his "death" completely convinced me. How things have changed. Now, the sounding board is the beginning of a very complex character. The two have a great friendship, and it's interesting to watch how it changes from Bucky trying to protect Steve from himself and from war, to becoming the one who needs to be protected, yet he doesn't hesitate to follow Steve, and never resents him. Stan has the "strong silent type" down pat but is also light and charming at the proper times. The bit where he tries to hit on Peggy and she doesn't even look at him is hilarious.

"I thought you were dead." "I thought you were smaller."

And even after Peggy got her own TV show, her character doesn't get any better than it is here. Strong and confident, and warm and lovely this Peggy knows her worth and doesn't care one bit if no one else does. I always liked Dominic Cooper's Howard Stark too -- one hundred percent rogue swagger and charm. Tommy Lee Jones is often the funniest bits of the movie while he helps the plot move along. And even though they're small parts, all the Howling Commandos are good, and I especially like that Neal McDonough and JJ Feild are a part of the group.

The one thing that has always bothered me the most about his film is how contrived and ambiguous the plane crash at the end was. I've tried to figure it out, but it seems like they just couldn't think of a hole-proof way of forcing Cap to make that choice and crash the plane, so they tried to cover it up by not explaining exactly why it was necessary to crash. It had to happen so it had to happen, but that always dampened the impact of that emotional moment for me.

Interestingly, the sweeter part of their romance is when they are apart.

The First Avenger is far from being a flawless movie, and most of its flaws are right on the surface for all to see, but with each viewing the characters become more and more endearing and deep, and show no sign of becoming obsolete as Marvel films continue to grow on the solid foundation they helped set. This early, light-and-breezy Marvel flick is a sincere and fitting origin for the most noble and patriotic of superheroes.

Men in Black III

Who would have thought they'd ever make another Men in Black movie? Sure, we all loved the first one, and were disappointed in, but still watched the second. And the premise is just so original, and J and K work so well together at catching creepy aliens and being hilarious. So it does make sense. But I confess, I was surprised when I saw they were making a third one. A good surprised though. And when I watched the trailer...

... I honestly thought that was Tommy Lee Jones at the end. For second I thought they must have pasted his face on a younger person, like Jeff Bridges in Tron Legacy. Then I saw Josh Brolin was cast as Young Agent K. Then, of course, my mind was blown, and I was incredibly impressed.

For the third round of this extra-terrestrial action comedy a very evil, and appropriately ugly alien Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) escapes from prison and time travels back 40 years to the day he was captured, where he helps himself kill the MiB agent who would arrest him; Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones older, and Josh Brolin, younger). Agent J (Will Smith) in the present is somehow the only person who notices something is wrong. He remembers K being alive just yesterday! Now, he must travel back in time to save the life of his grumpy partner, and kill Boris instead of arresting him, setting everything back to the way it should be.

But with Brolin playing everyone's favorite deadpan Man in Black, for at least half the movie, will we feel cheated out of seeing Tommy, the man who made the character so lovable in the first place? Lets see... that would be a no. Josh Brolin does do an amazing Tommy Lee Jones impression, but that's not what he's doing in this movie. He plays K. Just as well as Jones did I might add, spot on every time, and exactly how anyone would've imaged he'd be as a young man. With a little help from the make-up and prosthetic department (his ears and nose at least are fake) he turned out a totally real and round performance that blended perfectly with Jones' K, He even manages to have the same chemistry with Will Smith. And that is what makes the movie.

But that doesn't mean it was the only good part. Quite the contrary. Will Smith is as good and funny as ever, but no one would ever expect him not to be. He and Mr. Jones have still got it. I also enjoyed the addition of Agent O (older and younger, Emma Thompson, and Alice Eve respectively) And the baddie, Boris, is just as original, and just as classic as he ought to be. Speaking of original and classic, the plot was that as well. When in doubt, always go for time travel. It is a little cliched, but they pull it off, connecting it with the first one almost as if it was planned all along. And the time traveling aspect wasn't confusing like so many other time-jumping films, that fry your brain as you try to make sense of it all.

It's funny, it's action-packed, it has plot, it has visuals, it keeps you on your toes, er, the edge of your seat, and it's full of fine performances, with Brolin outstanding. A fun ride that respects, and brings you back to the original, while still going it's own way. If you're a fan of the franchise, it's a must-see, and even if you're not... everybody except nobody can appreciate a good Tommy Lee Jones impersonation, and that alone is worth the ticket price!
- 4/5 stars