Ad Astra, or “to the stars” is a movie that tries to create a character driven movie with a well-built world of the near future where space travel and going to the moon is a public leisure anyone could enjoy.

While it succeeds in the latter part, creating a story and movie where everything is mostly moved along by Brad Pitt’s character, Roy McBride, is where the movie falls flat. The entire movie is spent following Roy McBride as he is spent out into space to find his estranged father (Tommy Lee Jones) and try to save the earth.

The first act of the movie is amazing and well-paced, with a quick glance at the futuristic Earth and Moon the audience can understand what the world of Ad Astra is like and what to expect. Realistic issues like war over the Moon or pirates raiding Moon settlements are in the movie, which added depth to the environment. McBride also meets interesting people who help him out and building on his character.

The second act slows down the movies, taking mostly on Mars or in a spacecraft. Here the movie slows down and begins to drag. From this point on Brad Pitt is the only real interesting actor, with no one standing out from besides him. Every character he meets is purely 2D and has nothing interesting about them. Brad Pitt’s character takes a turn, realizing that if he wants to meet his father, he’d have to do it by himself.

Leaving Brad Pitt’s character in the third act by himself is the worst part of this movie. What made McBride so interesting is how he evaluated those around him and acted to certain people. When he is by himself there is constant monologue from him, creating awkward scenes with McBride floating by himself talking to no one. This last for what feels like forever. Just McBride floating in space and talking to himself, asking himself question neither him nor the audience can understand.

Ad Astra is a movie that tries to show how far a man can push himself to reach his goal before he finally can’t take anymore. Instead the movie delivers a dead, empty movie that seems to have more silence and Brad Pitt talking to himself then anything else. The visuals in this movie is great, and there are some interesting scenes, but its greats outweighed by the silent parts of the movies that add absolutely nothing. If you want a movie with little action but a lot of character development, this is the movie for you. I would rate the film as an overall 6/10.