Ad Astra: To the stars

Hamlet isn't the only one with daddy issues. Meet Major Roy Mcbride (Brad Pitt). Like his father, he's a highly respected astronaut. When we meet him, he's about to embark on the mission of his life.

It seems dad disappeared on Neptune (of all places) years ago. Now Major Roy has been enlisted to convince dad (Tommy Lee Jones) to come down to Earth. But wait!! Is Roy actually being used to draw his father out for more nefarious reasons?

Roy's space odyssey is only one half of this story. The other, more Hamletesque part, is his internal struggle. The ferocious battle between love and hate of a parent who abandoned him.

Pitt does a powerful job of almost making this film seem profound. Alas, it's a feat far, far beyond human grasp. As impossible, at least for now, as his voyage to Neptune.

If there's an Oscar category for best performance in a crap movie, Pitt's a shoe-in.