The Bad Physics of Ad Astra

4 Responses

  1. Rosetta Penn says:

    Taking into account that it was a sci-fi movie and not a deGrasse-Tyson documentary, I believe that most moviegoers were forgiving or unaware at best, of the scientific inaccuracies that you identified in this film. Dramatic license aside, I enjoyed the cinematography, but I agree that the storyline was derivative and the ending fell flat.

  2. Arwen The Horrible says:

    Thank you for the review! Considering this was supposed to be a sci-fi movie, the “sci” should stand for science. It seems the director, screenwriter and generally anybody involved just skipped science classes in high school. The first telltale sign was when the exhaust from the rocket didn’t expand as the rocket ascended the Earth’s atmosphere, which is something anybody could see just watching recent SpaceX launches. No, the blue flames just remain nicely focused the whole time. The whole movie just oozes laziness in writing and special effects. It seems that the production budget was really low, save for the space backgrounds. For example, the square corridor with a round door was used twice, once to depict the brightly lit Cepheus, and then in a reddish glow to depict the Daddy’s Antimatter Shack towards the end of the movie. Couldn’t they afford to build two different sets? Then there is the Martian abandoned warehouse, erm, I mean, base with infinite emplty shelves. What gives? And flying through the Neptune’s rings in 30 seconds, deflecting debris as if they were hail? In Agent Cooper’s words – Hellllooooooo! Anybody there? I’m just glad that I didn’t pay the admission.

  3. Paul Pearson says:

    Thank you for those further blunders. And, yes, the surfing through the rings of Neptune propelled by an atomic explosion? Tsk. Tsk.

  4. Michael says:

    I just re-watched the movie and spotted additional issues, primarily with the single person propulsion. Pitt often maneuvers as if there is gravity. Also, as he travels through the ring, either his momentum would be stopped or one of the rocks/ice chunks would have killed him. Also, his “capture” of the return craft would have torn his arm off. Apparently, no physics geeks were available to consult on this film. And in it’s defense, I took it that McBride Sr was lying about the Antimatter Ray. I believe he deliberately aimed it at Earth (and approaching ships) though the other issues you raise are still valid. I know this movie tried to answer some existential questions, and it should have been able to accomplish that, but in the end it left me wanting as well.

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