Brad Pitt Gets Ambushed By Moon Pirates in Ad Astra Clip

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Brad Pitt battles moon pirates in a new clip for Ad Astra. After journeying back to 1969 with Quentin Tarantino in this summer’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, Pitt next heads to the future in James Gray’s sci-fi film about an astronaut on a quest to find his father (Tommy Lee Jones), who went missing on a previous space mission while seeking out clues about extra-terrestrial life.

Where Once Upon a Time In Hollywood gave Pitt a chance to chill out in the role of zen stunt man Cliff Booth, Ad Astra sends him to the stars – the Latin term ad astra actually means “to the stars” - on what looks to be a much heavier existential quest, at least going by early trailers. Just what Pitt’s quest entails, and what he might find at the end of it, are questions that will only be answered when the movie is released, but the marketing seems to promise a decidedly adult sci-fi experience tackling weighty themes. That should come as no surprise from Gray, who specializes in heavy dramas like The Lost City Of Z and We Own The Night.

But as heavy as the human drama may become in Ad Astra, the movie also has room for some flat out sci-fi action, as teased in a newly released clip from 20th Century Fox. Expanding on a few shots shown in the trailers, the clip sees Pitt experiencing the thrill of riding across the lunar surface on a rover, then experiencing terror when he and his companions are attacked by moon pirates. See the clip in the space below:

Though the clip surely qualifies as an action scene, the tone is highly realistic and genuinely tense, as Pitt’s rover is ambushed by several pirate vehicles who begin opening fire. Even though the idea of moon pirates is arguably somewhat campy, the scene maintains a serious tone as it tries to imagine what might actually happen if pirates in spacesuits marauded their way across the lunar surface attacking other people’s rovers. Obviously, the stakes are raised when you’re in an environment where the only thing standing between you and immediate death is a fragile spacesuit that can easily be punctured by weapons.

Clearly, Gray and company are out to present an adult sci-fi film along the lines of Gravity, a movie that pays attention to the realities of science – to some extent at least – while also delivering thrills worthy of a big-budget space drama. It remains to be seen if audiences are ready to take the ride with Gray and Pitt, but at least on the evidence of the footage that’s been previewed so far, Ad Astra has a lot to offer in the way of entertainment as well as heady themes. And of course, it never hurts to have Pitt heading up the cast.

Ad Astra (2019) release date: Sep 20, 2019