Ad Astra (2019): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Ending
Ad Astra is a 2019 adventure thriller directed by James Gray, starring Brad Pitt as Roy McBride, Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland. It runs 2 hours 3 minutes and earned $127.5 million worldwide on a $90 million budget. It was nominated for 1 Oscar. Critics gave it 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and 80 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.5/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 3m (123 min)
- Director
- James Gray
- Original language
-
English
- Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox
- Budget
- $90M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Ad Astra About?
The premise of Ad Astra without spoilers. The whole story and the ending explained are in the plot summary further down.
Driven by a desperate search for his father, a renowned astronaut embarks on a dangerous mission to the outer reaches of the solar system, traveling to Neptune. Thirty years prior, his father’s starship vanished while on a pioneering mission. As the astronaut pushes further into the unknown, he discovers a mysterious power surge that jeopardizes the stability of the universe and forces him to confront long-buried family secrets and his own inner turmoil.
Ad Astra Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- astronaut
- outer space
- father son relationship
- missing father
- obsession
- mars base
- moon base
- solar system
- search for signs of intelligent life in the universe
- psychological evaluation
- travel to the moon
- moon buggy
+38 more Show fewer
- space hero
- space exploration
- presumed dead father
- radiation burst
- mars the planet
- flight to mars
- mars colony
- antimatter
- return to earth
- neptune the planet
- secret mission
- classified mission
- trapped in space
- moon rover chase
- seti
- moon rover crash
- buried in space
- rocket launching
- matter anti matter reaction
- near future
- free fall
- dark side of the moon
- spaceship
- space travel
- presumed dead
- emotional stress
- zero gravity
- killer ape
- lab monkey
- planetary ring
- son searches for missing father
- flashback
- space pirate
- explosion
- spoken inner thoughts
- memory
- space station
- secret base
Ad Astra Cast & Characters
Brad Pitt leads the cast as Roy McBride, with Tommy Lee Jones as H. Clifford McBride and Donald Sutherland as Thomas Pruitt. Directed by James Gray; 24 actors are credited in all.
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Director James Gray
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Brad Pitt as Roy McBride -
Tommy Lee Jones as H. Clifford McBride -
Donald Sutherland as Thomas Pruitt -
Liv Tyler as Eve
Also Starring in Ad Astra
· 20 more- Ruth Negga Helen Lantos
- Jamie Kennedy
- John Ortiz Lieutenant General Rivas
- John Finn Brigadier General Stroud
- Kimberly Elise Lorraine Deavers
- LisaGay Hamilton Adjutant General Vogel
- Greg Bryk
- Loren Dean Donald Stanford
- Ravi Kapoor Arjun Dhariwal
- Sean Blakemore Willie Levant
- Daniel Sauli Sal
- Anne McDaniels
- Kimmy Shields Sergeant Romano
- Donnie Keshawarz Captain Lawrence Tanner
- Nicholas Walker
- Alyson Reed
Show all 24 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Bobby Nish Franklin Yoshida
- Elisa Perry Woman in White Pants, Shirt
- Halszka Kuza
- Vivian Fleming-Alvarez
More from James Gray
More films directed by James Gray, best-rated first: Little Odessa, The Lost City of Z, Two Lovers and The Immigrant.
Ad Astra Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Ad Astra 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and 80 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.5/10. Our Echo Score gives it 71/100, strongest in art & craft (90) and weakest in story & flow (50).
Ad Astra Echo Score Breakdown
Ad Astra delivers a visually compelling exploration of isolation that is anchored by a committed central performance. Across critical and user feedback, reviewers praised the film’s meticulous cinematography and restrained production design, while noting its deliberate pacing and occasional narrative opacity. Many observers highlighted the emotional weight of the protagonist’s journey despite uneven subplot resolution. Overall, the film’s strengths in atmosphere and performance outpace its structural limitations.
Our own 0–100 rating, built from five aspects: art, character, story, the sensory experience and how well a film rewatches.
- Art & Craft 90
In terms of Art & Craft, the film excels in its deliberate framing and refined visual composition. Critics and viewers commended the film’s precise color design and immersive production design, emphasizing breath-taking sequences and seamless editing. A restrained palette supports the film’s contemplative tone without distraction. The result is a cohesive aesthetic that sustains engagement through striking visual clarity.
- Character & Emotion 75
When it comes to Character & Emotion, the central performance anchors the narrative with quiet intensity. Observers frequently praised the lead’s nuanced delivery and emotional restraint, noting the film’s ability to convey loneliness and paternal conflict. However, ancillary relationships and secondary arcs were sometimes described as underdeveloped, reducing their impact. Overall, the lead’s depth sustains the emotional core amid uneven supporting dynamics.
- Story & Flow 50
In terms of Story & Flow, responses ranged from appreciation of the film’s contemplative structure to frustration with plot coherence. Some viewers found the pacing measured and the thematic focus deliberate, while others cited unclear motivations and underresolved subplots that hinder narrative momentum. The film’s methodical progression supports its introspective ambitions but can undermine engagement for those seeking tighter storytelling.
- Sensory Experience 80
When addressing Sensory Experience, the film offers a rich auditory and visual landscape. Multiple accounts highlighted an evocative soundtrack and precise sound design that complement the expansive visuals, generating immersive momentum. The visual style is unified by consistent color timing and atmospheric lighting. As a result, the film creates a sensory environment that amplifies its thematic exploration of solitude and discovery.
- Rewatch Factor 60
For Rewatch Factor, opinions were mixed regarding the film’s replay appeal. Its meticulous visual details and subtle emotional beats invite further viewings, yet the deliberative pace and dense thematic content may challenge repeated engagement. While the film’s atmospheric strengths suggest lasting appeal for some, its narrative opacity and slow rhythm could limit broader rewatch enjoyment.
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IMDb 6.5 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 83% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 40%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 80 Metascore
User score 6.2
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 61% User score
See on TMDB -
Movie Insider 2.5 /5
See on Movie Insider
Ad Astra Plot Summary & Ending Explained
What happens in Ad Astra from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events and the ending explained. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Major Roy McBride, portrayed by Brad Pitt, is a dedicated astronaut stationed at the International Space Antenna, an impressive communication tower located many miles above Earth’s surface. Set approximately 100 years in the future, humanity faces a dire threat as mysterious power surges devastate the Solar System. While conducting his operations on the Tower, one of these violent surges hits, forcing Roy to make a perilous jump from the highest point, freefalling for miles before deploying his parachute to land safely.
Full summary
The whole story of Ad Astra, scene by scene, with the ending explained
Ad Astra Box Office & Budget
Ad Astra grossed $127.5 million worldwide on a $90 million budget, 1.4 times what it cost. $50.2 million came from the US and Canada and $77.3 million (61%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$127.5M
1.4× its budget
- US & Canada
- $50.2M
- International
- $77.3M
- Budget
- $90M
Ad Astra Awards & Nominations
Ad Astra was nominated for 1 Oscar. The 7 nominations come from 3 ceremonies, the most at the Saturn Awards 2021.
7 nominations3 ceremonies
-
Saturn Awards 2021 4 nominations- Nominated Best Comic to Motion Picture Release
- Nominated Best Film Costume Design
- Nominated Best Film Special / Visual Effects
- Nominated Best Science Fiction Film Release
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Critics' Choice 2020 2 nominations- Nominated Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie
- Nominated Best Visual Effects
-
Oscars 2020 1 nomination- Nominated Sound Mixing
Ad Astra Trailers & Videos
7 videos: 4 trailers and 3 clips.
- Trailer Official Trailer #2
- Trailer Official Trailer #3
- Trailer Ad Astra | IMAX Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX
- Clip Moon Rover
How Well Do You Know Ad Astra?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who plays the role of Major Roy McBride in 'Ad Astra'?
Cars in Ad Astra
5 cars on screen, including the Lunar Rover and the Lunar Rover.
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Lunar Rover Important role -
Lunar Rover Important role -
Mars Rover Important role -
unknown Minor role
Seen Ad Astra?
Movies Like Ad Astra
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Interstellar, Mission to Mars and Astro.
Ad Astra FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Ad Astra, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Ad Astra?
Ad Astra runs 2 hours 3 minutes (123 minutes).
When was Ad Astra released?
Ad Astra was released on September 20, 2019.
Who directed Ad Astra?
Ad Astra was directed by James Gray.
More films by James Gray Who is in the cast of Ad Astra?
Ad Astra stars Brad Pitt as Roy McBride, Tommy Lee Jones as H. Clifford McBride and Donald Sutherland as Thomas Pruitt, among 24 credited actors.
How much did Ad Astra make at the box office?
Ad Astra grossed $127.5 million worldwide ($50.2 million domestic, $77.3 million international) on a budget of $90 million.
How is Ad Astra rated?
Ad Astra has 6.5/10 on IMDb, 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, 80 on Metacritic and 61% on TMDB.
Was Ad Astra nominated for any awards?
Ad Astra received 7 nominations across 3 ceremonies.
Does Ad Astra have a post-credit scene?
No. Ad Astra has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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