Ad Astra proves to be an exhilarating and dramatic science fiction adventure that combines together heartfelt emotion with brilliant visuals. The movie tells the story of Roy McBride, a brave astronaut that aspires to follow in his father's shoes as someone that explores some of the most foreign areas of space. However, Roy and his father, Clifford, have a strained relationship. Clifford McBride is widely considered as one of the finest astronauts in the history of the position, especially as someone that was the very first to reach Jupiter, Saturn and eventually Neptune. About thirty years ago, Clifford McBride was in charge of the Lima Project, which was a voyage and an attempt to reach some of the deepest portions of space in the solar system to eventually make a search for extraterrestrial life. Due to this, Clifford helped lead his crew farther than anyone else had ever gone, going past Saturn to reach Neptune. However, once they got to the massive, blue planet, the ship and the astronauts on it appeared to be stranded. None of the members seemed to ever be heard from or found, so they were assumed to be dead. This is exactly where Roy McBride comes in. Roy has received news from some highly respected sources that suggest his father may actually be alive, so the plan is to send Roy out to try to find his missing father. As Roy attempts to deal with the poor relationship between himself and his father, as well as the dangerous power surge that might potentially threaten the safety of the solar system, Roy must deal with his own internal conflicts. Roy must deal with greedy space pirates, plenty of spacecraft mechanical issues, and the dangers of Roy's emotional state going through turmoil as he deals with one of the most unforgiving problems of his entire life. 
 Ad Astra manages to transform into a deliberately exquisite and passion-fueled adventure that utilizes a rare combination of science fiction and heart-wrenching drama. This allows the movie to blend together spectacular visuals and personal emotion, showcasing that even in the vast void of space itself, the most human of problems can still stand as the most unnerving. Reaching Neptune, and the farthest edges of the solar system, is a goal within itself, but the real mission for Roy McBride is to discover the truth about his missing father and hopefully mend the wounds that were torn when Clifford first left. Roy has been trained to show as little emotion as possible, mostly keeping calm regardless of any situation, but when Roy is forced to go on a mission that directly involves himself on a personal level, Roy begins to feel emotionally torn asunder. This directly contradicts with what Roy has been trained to accomplish, placing a huge mental toll on Roy's body, often having nearly detrimental repercussions. 

 Ad Astra proves to delicately produce complex and intricate concepts of science fiction, mostly through the excellent usage of some truly invigorating visuals. These visuals are able to capture even the most subtle of features of space and the world outside of Earth, and this ensures that all of the spaceships that are used to travel are captured exquisitely and made completely believable. As a result, the movie's futuristic qualities are made realistic and compelling, with viewers feeling captivated by the exciting future that Roy McBride lives in. In this society, traveling to the Moon is more of a tourist destination than anything else and Mars has practically begun to get colonized as well. This is a superbly intriguing topic within itself, and it does nothing but add another layer of depth to this future. In fact, all of the beautiful visuals are able to form eye-dropping moments that can make the heart stop, including some of the most devastating moments of the film, like when Roy McBride nearly falls from the highest reaches of Earth's atmosphere to drop to his death. 

 Ad Astra utilizes splendid visuals, intense and emotional drama, and some truly thought-provoking science fiction that can appeal to the human side within all of us. The real, core conflict of the film is nothing as large as a planet, space itself or the solar system, but is instead something that all viewers can relate to in a son's attempts to deal with an uncaring father. This earnestly challenging problem feels sincere throughout, and the balance between love and loss creates a deeply moving adventure. While there are some plot points that don't entirely feel wrapped up by the story's conclusion, there's still no denying that the movie's greatest strengths feel whole-heartedly inspirational, which is enough to outweigh some of the faults. Often intimate and pragmatic simultaneously, the movie has the rare ability to feel elegiac at times, capturing something far greater than its premise would suggest. Roy McBride's mission across the solar system is definitely a must-see, even for those that might not initially expect such.