--- title: "Ad Astra: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ad-astra/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/ad-astra" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 31 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ad Astra (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 31 reviews: 26 positive, 2 mixed, 3 negative. ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 3/5/5. 29 August 2019. Festival review. The critic hails it as a rich, contemplative sci-fi opus and Gray's most fluent work, praising Pitt's nuanced performance and the visual ravishments while framing it as a poignant exploration of losing a parent and personal ambition. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/ad-astra-venice-film-festival-review-james-gray-brad-pitt/) ## The i Paper — Demetrios Matheou Rating ★★★★★. 18 September 2019. The critic calls Ad Astra the most complete and profound sci-fi film since 2001: A Space Odyssey. They single out Brad Pitt's masterclass in minimalist yet highly emotive acting as the heart of this thoughtful, spellbinding film. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt-release-2001-a-space-odyssey-340283) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 5/5. 18 September 2019. James Gray’s astonishing science-fiction epic deconstructs alpha-heroism through an elegantly told, staggeringly visualised classical adventure narrative. Pitt delivers a grippingly inward performance that anchors the film on a star-system-sized canvas. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/ad-astra-review-brad-pitts-star-quality-shines-existential-sci/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2019. Gray turns Ad Astra into an instant classic of intimate cinema by reaching far within himself through a far-out setting. The film's textural achievements and deep subjectivity stand out as its great accomplishments. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/ad-astra-reviewed-james-grays-masterwork-of-personal-film-in-an-alien-setting) ## Total Film — James Mottram Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2019. The critic hails Ad Astra as James Gray's masterpiece, driven by a career-best turn from Brad Pitt. They single out Pitt's sensational, Oscar-worthy performance and the sublime, remarkably executed visuals and set pieces for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/ad-astra-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2019. The moody, mournful story of fathers and sons balances a harrowing otherworldly trek with an interior psychological journey. It comes together in the final stretch with sad grandiosity and a lovely score. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-08-30/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt-tommy-lee-jones) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 4/5. 17 September 2019. The critic calls it a thrill-packed and thought-provoking extravagant sci-fi drama, praising Pitt's charisma and the dazzling visuals while noting philosophical questions amid the action. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-wo4q8k/ad-astra/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2019. James Gray's spectacular epic sends Brad Pitt on an interplanetary mission to find his missing father, with echoes of Apocalypse Now and 2001. The film offers thrilling ambition and reach as a Freudian space odyssey, though it is a little derivative. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/18/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt-tommy-lee-jones-james-gray) ## The Times — Tom Shone Rating ★★★★. 22 September 2019. James Gray’s strange, haunting space adventure features Brad Pitt as a stoic astronaut preoccupied with his lost father. The film shines with inventive sound design felt through vibrations and strong performances from Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt-and-tommy-lee-jones-shine-in-a-haunting-curious-space-adventure-8sd9vb5f6) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 27 August 2019. The critic commends the gorgeous, soulful sci-fi that marries heart and spectacle, highlighting Pitt's strong performance and its meaningful reflections on fathers, sons and reconciling with the past. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ad-astra) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2019. The critic praises the film's beautiful, realistic depiction of space and plausible world-building while noting it is a meditative exploration of father-son abandonment issues. They single out the well-staged adventure set pieces and existential themes for praise but note a dip in pace and occasionally maudlin narration. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ad-astra/) ## Film Comment — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). Gray's ambitious sci-fi balances cosmic spectacle and intimate father-son reckoning through Brad Pitt's restrained astronaut on a journey to Neptune. The film mixes visual invention with emotional depth but remains oddly earnest and occasionally preposterous. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/film-of-the-week-ad-astra/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2019. Festival review. The critic describes a spectacular, intellectually sophisticated interior journey anchored by Pitt's pained melancholy performance, praising suspense sequences and father-son themes while noting it is more meditative than rollicking adventure. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ad-astra-venice-review/5142239.article) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic's Pick. 19 September 2019. The film is a sincere if sometimes dopey confessional about fathers and sons that takes the form of an inward space journey. It explores the burdens of masculinity through skilled men who achieve public success at personal cost. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/movies/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt.html) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2019. The film is eerily beautiful and steeped in the protagonist's psyche, with thrilling sequences and strong sound design. It reduces to a simplistic father-son story at the end, though the humanist message and visuals are compelling. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/ad-astra-movie-review-its-all-brad-pitt.html) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2019. The critic finds Ad Astra so nearly a heroic masterpiece but ultimately uninvolving and a touch silly. They single out Brad Pitt's repressed, stoical performance for praise while complaining about the heavy-handed script, clunky dialogue and ponderous voiceover that leave the film emotionally flat despite strong visuals. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/ad-astra-review-brad-pitts-sci-fi-epic-is-so-nearly-a-heroic-masterpiece-a4242121.html) ## Sight and Sound — Jessica Kiang Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2019. The critic praises the film's visual and aural spectacle, majestic cinematography and elegant filmmaking but criticizes the clumsy dialogue, redundant narration and the narrative's focus on one man's daddy issues at the expense of broader stakes. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt-bestrides-stars-darkly) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2019. James Gray’s space adventure has moments of wonder but too much weighty rumination, with psychological platitude and Oedipal cliché. There are wonderful sequences like a lunar car chase, but they cannot hide the attractive clutter and empty cliché. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/5749b9bc-d92e-11e9-8f9b-77216ebe1f17) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2019. Festival review. The film orbits unsteadily between art film and action thriller. Pitt's subtle, close-up performance draws power from stillness, but the movie often feels adrift in a suspense-free void with unnecessary voiceover. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ad-astra-review-1233364/) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Rating 5/5. 11 September 2019. James Gray delivers a complex, soul-shaking existential adventure disguised as mainstream sci-fi, anchored by Brad Pitt’s career-best performance as a man tormented by loss and grief. It is a true cinematic masterpiece that explores humanity’s place in the universe through allegories and symbolism. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/ad-astra-review/) ## The Skinny — Joseph Walsh Rating 5/5. 11 September 2019. Gray focuses on human drama and emotional intimacy amid spectacular space imagery, with Pitt excelling in a low-key portrayal of an emotionally fractured man confronting daddy issues. The film offers heart alongside spectacle and reminds viewers of the power of hope and forgiveness. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/ad-astra) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A-. 19 September 2019. The critic praises the film as a powerful, profound emotional and cerebral experience centered on alienation and loneliness in space. They single out Brad Pitt's quiet, thoughtful, career-best performance for its internal depth and restraint. [Read the review](https://collider.com/ad-astra-review/) ## /Film — Josh Spiegel Rating 9/10. 16 September 2019. A thoughtful, riveting character study and one of the best films of 2019, with Brad Pitt delivering his best performance in years as an astronaut on a haunting journey. Gray blends emotional depth with epic sci-fi visuals in a rare adult-oriented genre film. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/569114/ad-astra-review/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2019. The critic finds the film gripping, jaw-dropping and ethereal, an introspective character-driven journey that echoes classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey. Pitt's performance anchors the cerebral sci-fi as a man venturing into unknown physical and emotional spaces. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/video/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt-movie-james-gray/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2019. Pitt delivers one of his finest performances in this thrilling, thought-provoking space journey that stands apart with its realistic vision and emotional focus. Gray crafts a satisfying emotional conclusion alongside big-screen spectacle and provocative ideas. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a28910322/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt-meaning/) ## Polygon — Matt Patches Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2019. The critic calls the film a rapturous journey that translates the draw of space into heart-racing spectacle while interrogating human ambition and desire. They single out the synthesis of philosophy, interstellar wonder, and Brad Pitt's commanding presence for praise. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2019/9/20/20875672/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2019. The review calls the film remarkably stylish and fascinating, a family saga that deconstructs the male hero through an astronaut's quest for his father. It singles out the immersive cinematography and complex performances by Pitt and Jones for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/ad-astra-film-review-brad-pitt-tommy-lee-jones/) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Rating 3.5/5. 20 September 2019. Gray delivers a cerebral, visually inventive sci-fi that uses vast space as backdrop for one man's personal inward journey, anchored by Pitt's superbly restrained performance. It earns a place among thoughtful adult sci-fi but lacks the emotional connection for true transcendence. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/ad-astra-review-brad-pitt/) ## Film Stories — Dan Cooper Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2019. The film blends smart sci-fi with blockbuster elements and strong performances, particularly from Brad Pitt, while echoing New Hollywood existential themes. It retains some accessibility without fully committing to a deeply cerebral path. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/ad-astra-review/) ## The Playlist — Rodrigo Perez Rating B+/A-. 29 August 2019. Festival review. An ambitious, esoteric interstellar odyssey about humanity’s place in the cosmos and self-discovery, with a strong, unshowy performance from Pitt and beautiful visuals. It is grandly cinematic and thematically rich, even if remote for some tastes. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/ad-astra-brad-pitt-venice-review-20190829/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2019. Visually stunning in places but weighed down by excessive voiceover and platitudes about daddy issues that undermine the script. Pitt’s nuanced performance saves it, though Gray struggles to balance the personal and the spectacular. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/search/title/Ad%20Astra) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ad-astra.md