I always wanted to be an astronaut, for the future of mankind and all,” intones Brad Pitt in James Gray’s wondrous sci-fi. Set in the near future, at a time when “humanity looks to the stars”, Ad Astra casts Pitt as Roy McBride, a space explorer who is unquestionably made of the right stuff. Even in the most extreme of situations, his pulse rate never rises above 80.
McBride is miles above Earth when we first join him, climbing on the International Space Antenna and making adjustments as if he were up a first-floor ladder. Then, suddenly, a huge explosion causes him to tumble, a parachute thankfully slowing his fall in the first of several thrilling set-pieces dreamed up by Gray (The Lost City Of Z) and his long-time collaborator, co-writer Ethan Gross.
This story is from the October 2019 edition of Total Film.
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This story is from the October 2019 edition of Total Film.
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