Ad Astra

Starring Brad Pitt and with James Gray directing and cowriting, Ad Astra is a science fiction adventure drama set in the near future. Pitt portrays Roy McBride, an astronaut tasked with finding and stopping his father, considered a legend, from sending power surges from a space station in Neptune that's causing large destruction on Earth. Roy has to deal with lunar pirates, government conspiracies, and other obstacles one can find in space. The film takes a more slow and realistic approach to space travel, much like Interstellar and 2001: A Space Odyssey, though going even further by having part of the plot be about the search for aliens but coming with the bold realization that humans are the only intelligent beings in the cosmos. While also starring Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones, and Ruth Negga who all give great performances, it's Pitt who really shines as the lead. Whether through his performance on screen or his frequent narration, Pitt is truly phenomenal in one of the strongest performances he has ever given. Being a more realistic portrayal of space, many shots of space are done without sound and much slower movement because of the low gravity. The story is so original and fresh, though with some obvious references and homages to other space films. One aspect that I enjoyed and a great metaphor towards consumerism is how space travel, even going to the moon, is such a regular thing that even families do it for fun to the point that well known shops and restaurants like Subway are in the entry station on the moon, as well as there being space pirates who rob from anyone going a certain path. Every single effect to show space is absolutely breathtaking and makes you long to see the real things that close. While James Gray makes a fresh and breathtaking film, it can be very slow, tries to be too dramatic at times, and can sometimes feel too artsy with some of the way he shoots certain moments. Pitt is great as Roy, there's no denying that, but his narration happens too often and a lot of the philosophical and metaphorical lines try too hard to be deep and meaningful. Even if Roy is the main character, the way certain moments revolve around him and how some things are resolved, or even the way the character reacts to events yet still has a steady heart beat, can be too hard to be taken seriously. Ad Astra is a magnificent film that manages to world build without taking away from its story and has Brad Pitt in such an amazing performance, even if its dragged down a bit through its overly artistic moments. Over all: 99%
2019 top list so far:

1. Avengers: Endgame

2. Ready or Not

3. Toy Story 4

4. Hustlers

5. Shazam!

6. Spider-Man: Far From Home

7. Rocketman

8. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

9. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

10. Ad Astra

11. It Chapter 2

12. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

13. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

14. Hobbs & Shaw

15. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

16. Us

17. Aladdin 2019

18. Pokemon Detective Pikachu

19. Captain Marvel

20. The Lion King 2019

21. Yesterday

22. Pet Sematary 2019

23. The Upside

24. Dark Phoenix

25. Cold Pursuit

26. Glass