Ad Astra looks to be one of the most original, gripping, and intriguing films of the year. The sci-fi adventure film from director James Gray is an epic and mysterious tale about astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) embarking on a dangerous mission to discover what could be causing a galactic threat. It just so happens that McBride’s father, Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones) embarked on a journey into space 30 years ago and may have some connection to the impending danger.
But, there are a lot of questions we have after seeing the multiple trailers for Ad Astra because we are dying to know what’s going on in this fascinating flick. Here are a few questions about Ad Astra that we’re trying to find the answers to.
The Red Room
One of the trailers begins with Roy speaking into a microphone and recording a message for his father. This takes place in a red room with what looks to be an exorbitant amount of soundproofing or some other kind of technological insulation. Considering that Clifford is thought to have been lost in space, what is the purpose of this particular room?
Is the room set up in order to broadcast an incredible distance through space? Or could there be something even stranger at play? Could this red room be a sort of time travel message delivery machine? Is Roy trying to send a message back in time to his father? Whatever the case, it’s clear that this room has some sort of special significance and is vital to how this message is delivered.
The Surge
We see that there is a catastrophic event called the “Surge” that causes major power outages and communication failures across the globe. It also means that these electrical breakdowns lead to a significant death toll. What we don’t know is what the Surge is or what causes it. It’s likely that the Surge is the catalyst to whatever the potential impending threat is, which would explain why Roy has to stop it.
It’s also likely that the Surge is somehow attached to the mission Clifford embarked on three decades ago. The term “ad astra” is a Latin phrase that translates to “to the stars”. Could the Surge be a byproduct of some new form of advanced space travel? An attempt to open a wormhole or some other means of crossing space and time in a single instant?
The Moon
The trailers seem to showcase that this is in a not-too-distant future where humanity has colonized the moon. We see a large station on the moon, but what’s really shocking is seeing a number of moon buggies and an action scene taking place where the drivers (including Roy) are attacking each other.
This leads to a number of questions. One of the biggest ones is: who is trying to stop Roy and why? We see that he’s given this mission to save the galaxy and discover what’s happening, but are there opposing forces that don’t want him to discover the truth? Are there duelling power structures at play? Is it possible that Clifford has discovered something that could change humanity’s future and certain people don’t want that to happen?
Mars
At some point during his mission, Roy reaches Mars and we see that there are buildings and structures already there. And it looks like this might have been an outpost or research station for Clifford during his initial journey.
Whatever it is that Clifford was working on, it looks like Mars was at least a stop along the way. Was this where Clifford discovered whatever it is that he believes will change the world? Was it on Mars where Clifford engaged in some kind of life-changing experiment? Does Roy uncover the video logs that we see in the trailers on Mars, and is that when the mystery of what happened to Clifford is revealed?
The Explosion
There is a brief moment in the trailers where we see a gargantuan blue flame explosion expand and threaten to engulf a spacecraft. Considering that there is no oxygen in space and fire can’t exactly occur, what might this mysterious event be? We hear in one of the trailers that Roy is attempting to stop an uncontrolled antimatter reaction. Is this explosion a part of that reaction? Could it be the destruction of an entire planet? The trailers show Roy going as far into the solar system as Saturn and possibly Neptune or Uranus. Is something happening that is actually destroying entire planets?
We’ll know all the answers when Ad Astra hits theatres on September 19 in Singapore and Malaysia and September 20 in Indonesia.
Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.
