Films Ad Astra

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Ad Astra poster

Film · 2019

Ad Astra

Directed by James Gray · starring LisaGay Hamilton, Brad Pitt and Donald Sutherland

  • 2 h 4 min
  • 12
  • Science fiction · Thriller · Mystery
  • USABrazil
  • Released in the UK 17 September 2019
  • 7.1 AverageMovieNCo
  • 5.4 Users22 votes
  • 8.7 Critics7 reviews
Watch trailer Where to watch Rate it

Synopsis

In the near future, the Earth is being repeatedly struck by mysterious bursts of gamma rays referred to as the 'Surge' that threaten to wipe out all life on the planet. Astronaut Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt, 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood') is a man so stoic and cool under pressure that his heart rate never exceeds 80 BPM and his wife, Eve (Liv Tyler, 'Harlots'), left him due to his apparent inability to connect with her.

Twenty years after his father H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones, 'The Fugitive') left on a one-way mission to Neptune in order to find signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence, Roy is informed that the source of the surges is the 'Lima Project' base on Neptune, a project in which Roy's father was heavily involved.

When a SpaceCom officer tells Roy that Clifford could still be alive, Roy agrees to go on a mission to Mars to try and communicate with the father he hasn't seen nor spoken to since he was sixteen years old. His father's old colleague, Colonel Pruitt (Donald Sutherland, 'The Hunger Games') is tasked with helping him. Whether or not Clifford has found signs of non-human life out there, Roy is determined to bring him back and to prevent a catastrophic disaster that could destroy all traces of human existence.

'Ad Astra' is directed by James Gray ('The Lost City of Z') and was written by Gray and Ethan Gross ('Fringe').

Where to watch Ad Astra

All the options

Available now in the UK:

Availability checked on 8 November 2026.

The essentials

Runtime
124 min2 hours and 4 minutes
Budget
$90mRegency Enterprises
Box office
$49.7m0.6 times its budget
Rating
12Suitable for 12 years and over
How long is Ad Astra?
2 hours and 4 minutes (124 minutes).
When was Ad Astra released in the UK?
It was released in the UK on 17 September 2019.
Who directed Ad Astra?
James Gray.
Who is in Ad Astra?
It stars LisaGay Hamilton, Brad Pitt, Donald Sutherland and Tommy Lee Jones.
Where can I watch Ad Astra?
In the UK it is available with a subscription on HBO Max and Prime Video, with a channel on Now and to buy on Apple TV.
How much did Ad Astra make?
It took $49.7 million in US. It cost $90 million.
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Cast

Full cast (33)
Director
James Gray
Writers
James Gray, Ethan Gross
Producers
Dede Gardner, James Gray, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner
Cinematography
Hoyte van Hoytema

Videos and trailers

All 5 videos
'Ad Astra' Trailer 2:324 June 2019

Photos and posters

All 12 photos

Reviews

All 8 reviews
5.4 22 votes
  • 100 %
  • 90 %
  • 89 %
  • 718 %
  • 627 %
  • ≤545 %

What the critics say average 8.7 from 7 outlets

  • 10 CinemaníaDaniel de Partearroyo "On its way there's a space for malickian reflection, western imaginery, a lunar chase worthy of Mad Max and music by Max Richter that's capable of draining oceans". Read
  • 10 The GuardianXan Brooks It?s an extraordinary picture, steely and unbending and assembled with an unmistakable air of wild-eyed zealotry. 'Ad Astra', be warned, is going all the way - and it double-dares us to buckle up… Read
  • 6.5 The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden "Pitt is working the minor keys to sublime effect (as he does in his exquisitely wry, career-best turn in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). But while less is more for the actor, that's not necessarily… Read

Box office

Weekend by weekend
  • Budget $90m
  • US $49.7m
  • UK £6.1m

Awards

All the awards

Soundtrack

All 6 songs
  1. Why Baby WhyRed Sovine, Webb Pierce Spotify
  2. Heaven Can WaitDean Martin Spotify
  3. TuesdayMax Richter, Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, Robert Ziegler, Mari Samuelsen, Hila Karni Spotify
  4. (I've Got a Gal in) KalamazooL'Orchestre de Glenn Miller Spotify

Quotes

?
The movie title means "to the stars" in Latin, usually it was said in the whole sentence "per aspera ad astra" (through hardships to the stars).

Trivia

All 7 facts

  • To the stars

    The title means "to the stars" in Latin. It is often used as a shorthand for "Per Aspera Ad Astra" (Through the hardships to the Stars).

  • It wasn't easy

    Director James Gray admitted to Empire magazine that he had to compromise with the studio on the ending of the movie to get the film green-lit and even with a major star/producer like Brad Pitt on board they still struggled for years to get it made.

  • ¿Father and son?

    Tommy Lee Jones is actually only 16 years older than Brad Pitt.

  • Mix

    Director James Gray has said it will feature "the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie." He's also described it as "Sorta like, if you got 'Apocalypse Now' and '2001' in a giant mash-up and you put a little [Joseph] Conrad in there."

  • Old mates

    The film reunites Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones and Loren Dean who previously appeared in Space Cowboys (2000).

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