The Brilliance of "Ad Astra"

So I finally got around to watching "Ad Astra" last night. After listening to a conversation with James Gray about the film and somewhat loving a lot of the movie role choices Pitt has taken on in the past few years, I was very excited to see this movie.I think going into the film I was expecting a somewhat more conventional story narrative to the film that most sci-fi films follow:meet some characterssomething bad happens or is happening around themthey are forced into action somewhere in space or the futurethey confront the issue after struggletheir actions reveal something larger about humanity which helps to change societyIn most cases sci-fi, as it tends to be a focus on our current world, has a narrative resolution which means humanity looks itself in the face to make a change.I was so pleasantly surprised when "Ad Astra" turned out not to follow that narrative model leading to resolution. The manner in which James Gray ends the film, with Roy Mcbride understanding the resolution to their not being life somewhere out there in the universe is to take care of the earthly relationships and people he has, was such a nice turning the narrative tables on its head. The film is a somewhat quiet and stoic search for a bond between a father and a son which nets out in a deeper understanding of the destruction of careerism vs. love. No big reveal. No humanity changing event. Just one man understanding his own universe of priorities better.Outside of that, the soundtrack by Max Richter and Lorne Balfe along with the cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema, are brilliant. In the quiet stretches of the film the shots and the music fully carry the immense gulf of distance both within space and between Roy and his father.Just excellent.Did anyone else see it? What did you think of it? via /r/movies https://ift.tt/39VH8LL