Science Fiction and the clash of myths & psychoanalysis amidst Deep Space
Felt like shooting one of Elon Musk’s “Giant Fucking Rockets” at every review I read of Ad Astra where the film critic moaned, groaned, and bitched about frickin’ “daddy issues.” C’mon, people, of COURSE there exist daddy issues. And son issues, too! At least this wasn’t some twisted, incest-addled blood, sand, & sandals Ancient Empires kinda flick set up top in Outer Space! But they did have space pirates on the Moon, and bloodthirsty, psychotic baboons took over a corporate spaceship lab. The cinematography was gorgeous.
Best of all, the movie captured the vast expanse of space with a lush, incandescent magnificence where we teeny tiny, itty bitty bipedal social primates from a small, rock and water planet were overwhelmed with a mix of dread and awe. Drama interplay between top actors including Brad Pitt, Donald Sutherland, and Tommy Lee Jones was accented by short, intense performances by a number of others among the cast including Ruth Negga, LisaGay Hamilton, Greg Bryk, and others. So many people played so many bit parts I was often left wondering more about these characters, wanting to see more, yet mildly irritated as to see more would be a tangle of tangential distractions. Seeing Natasha Lyonne, a star rising once more from later shows as diverse as, Orange is the New Black and Russian Dolls was both a surprise and a delight. She is so goofy, fun, and gnarly!