Ad Astra is scheduled for release on September 20.Ad Astra is a science fiction film starring Brad Pitt in the lead role. It is directed by James Gray (The Lost City of Z). The film is about a mission undertaken by Pitt’s Roy McBride to find his father Clifford McBride (played by Tommy Lee Jones).
Clifford left for outer space 12 years ago to find signs of extraterrestrial life and did not return. Roy’s job is to find him and also figure out why his mission failed.
We are told little about what may have transpired with Clifford. The government officials, who recruit Roy to go find his father, talk about classified material that could threaten the entire solar system. “All life would be destroyed. We are counting on you to find out what’s happening out there,” Roy is told.
This does not clarify whether the substance Clifford was in possession with and was experimenting upon had government endorsement or he went rogue. Did he make contact with aliens and switch sides or is he being held captive? We are not told. Perhaps the second trailer would provide more clarity, as, at this point, it is hard to figure out what kind of film Ad Astra is.
Is it like Ridley Scott’s Alien films that have a hostile extraterrestrial species or there is something more here?
The official synopsis states, “Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.”
Ad Astra is scheduled for release on September 20.
