–Haleigh Foutch
Ad Astra
Dont believe the ads thatAd Astrais some kind of space thriller.
Its a movie about the shortcomings of stoicism and finding meaning in a meaningless universe.
Not exactly, no.
You bet your butt it did, and sometimes thats whats really important.
There is acrash-zoomto Godzillas face, for goodness sake.
And, underneath it all, there actuallyisan interesting story being told in a grey area about modern science.
Image via Well Go USA
Salazar makes the curious CGI choice work, using her eyes enhanced absorption as a guidepost for her performance.
These sequences are surprisingly brutal, favoring visceral-feeling combat rather than the sometimes ephemeral nature of sci-fi laser fights.
I dont need it to interact with the ramifications ofAvengers: Endgameor any other MCU movie.
Image via 20th Century Fox
Heck, I dont need Peter Parker to ever don his Spidey suit and swing around.
But when it does click in to being a sci-fi leaning action film: Look out!
The set pieces on this sucker are rollicking good times, bursting with imagination and visual clarity.
Image via Paramount Pictures
In large part, this is thanks to the addition ofJake Gyllenhaalas Mysterio.
His performance, like many of the best Gyllenhaal performances, feels a little off.
Its a keen summary of the films pleasures: Action and sci-fi are good, yes.
Image via Warner Bros.
But character always comes first.
Image via Lionsgate
Image via Fox
Image via Universal Pictures
Image via Netflix
Image via Sony Pictures
Image via Yellow Veil Pictures
