Ad Astra Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

2. It Feels Emotionally Distant

Though Pitt's McBride is presented to audiences as an initially stoic character, Gray takes both McBride and the audience on a journey that's supposed to unlock their emotions as it explores the fraught relationship - or lack thereof - between Roy and his absentee father, Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones).

Despite strong efforts from both Pitt and Jones, and an admirable effort to avoid the excessive sentimentality of a film like, say, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, Ad Astra ultimately ends up feeling rather emotionally neutered.

The film reaches its apparently heartfelt crescendo a little too eagerly, and as a result may leaves audiences feeling a little colder than they'd like. Were this Gray's clear intent it wouldn't be a problem, but he evidently wanted us to leave the cinema-misty eyed, and so didn't quite stick the landing.