Review of Ad Astra

This is a moive showing that the most meaningful things in life are basic relationships like promises between husband and wife, and the father who sacrifises career glory and better prospects to stay with his family. Of course, in the movie, Tommy Lee Jones chose the latter, puts work first. Puts career and human society first, over and above his son and wife. The son is not a total failure. The movie is told from the son's POV. It is entirely and consistently. The son, Brad Pitt, is there is every scene. He is there on screen almost continously.

The son has done his best (in life), but there is a gaping hole in his heart because of which his relationship with his wife is also flawed in the same manner. He puts his work above his wife. His father is his ideal, his source of meaning to life.

He can feel his father and slowly he finds the hole in his heart is too big to fill without finding his dad, whereupon the mission becomes a personal quest, more than duty.

Now watch the movie with just this premise and you will find how deeply meaningful this movie is. There is ugliness in equal measure as there are clear depictions of ugliness in beautiful backdrops. Only failing of the movie is the distracting technological backdrop. There is a reason for this as scientism and positivism is taking hold in our society despite Nietzsche's warning.

This is a must watch.

Thanks for reading.