Every year there are films that have some simmering buzz but still seem to float under the radar. To this point, it seems that Ad Astra falls in that category for 2019. It has intriguing names associated with it (star Brad Pitt, writer/director James Gray, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones, Liv Tyler and Ruth Negga, to name a few). Maybe the reason that it feels like the film is flying under the radar is that we’ve been hearing about it for a while. Back in 2016, Gray announced the project and said that he wanted to create the most realistic cinematic depiction of space travel. That, in itself, is quite the statement and enough to pique any cinephile’s interest.
Now, with the release of a new trailer for the film, I think we can all agree that interest should begin to skyrocket.
This film looks absolutely breathtaking, and it is clearly joining a long line of space films to pay homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey. This trailer does a fine job of being an interest-building marketing tool without giving away too much, but it clearly shows that this is a film that wants to depict both the beauty and the philosophical unknown of space. Brad Pitt has shown he is more than capable to lead a film time and time again, and the supporting cast looks absolutely incredible.
If Ad Astra wasn’t on your list of most anticipated films for the remainder of 2019, it should be now. The film is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival later this month, and it is slated for a wide release in September.
