Ad Astra | 2019 | PG-13 | – 1.6.5

Why is “Ad Astra” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “for some violence and bloody images, and for brief strong language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes an attempted kiss and tender caresses between wife and husband, and a shirtless man; a gruesome scene with bloody results of an animal attack causing the death of a man, a fight that leaves three dead with some blood and matter shown, a suicide, and several scenes of space travel and solitude for extended periods; and at least 1 F-word and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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In the near future, an experienced astronaut (Brad Pitt) that’s capable of remaining imperturbable even under extreme stress is recruited to fly to Neptune in search of his father (Tommy Lee Jones), a legendary scientist who led a lost expedition to the end of the solar system many years earlier. Also with Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, Anne McDaniels and Donald Sutherland. Directed by James Gray. [Running Time: 2:02]

Ad Astra SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A wife tries to kiss her husband’s neck and he flinches and pulls away. A husband and wife lie in bed together face-to-face and she touches his face tenderly (they are both clothed).
► A man is questioned about being married once with no children.
► A shirtless man is seen and his bare chest and abdomen are seen.

Ad Astra VIOLENCE/GORE 6

 – A space vessel stops at a space station when it receives an SOS; two astronauts enter the station when they get no response from anyone inside and they find no people inside; we see one of the astronauts from behind twitching unnaturally as a primate eats his face (we see the animal with large bloody teeth and blood on its face), the second astronaut fights with the animal, incapacitates one as another charges toward him as he locks a hatch and presses a switch that causes the animals to explode (we see blood and matter on the hatch window, and we see the first man’s face chewed and scratched with his nose missing and his hand mutilated and missing fingers).
► Several rovers on the moon chase and fire on other rovers; we see vehicles breaking apart and riders are thrown, one passenger’s helmet is broken and he is thrown off the rover onto the ground dead, another man’s suit is punctured, and we see a few of the attackers being shot before one vehicle jumps a ridge and lands in a crater and then speeds away.
► A man climbs through a tunnel, swims through water, and climbs into a rocket as its engines fire up and alarms sound when the hatch is opened; a person inside the ship shoots at him and she falls hard onto a glass hatch crushing her skull (we see blood and matter on the glass), another man fights him with a knife and another man shoots at him and discharges gas that suffocates himself and another man (they cough and gasp briefly and we see all three bodies drifting into space later). An astronaut uses a metal shield to protect himself from rocks and debris while in a planet’s rings as he propels himself toward a ship; he crashes onto the ship and tumbles along its exterior before catching onto a handle and climbing inside safely.
► Two men tethered together leave a space station and one of them emits a burst of air that flings him into the distance pulling the other man on the tether; they struggle and fight until they separate and we watch one man float away into the distance as the other man screams. Several astronauts climb out of portals and onto a space antennae as a power surge causes a mechanical arm to fall off the structure and explosions blow several people into the air; we see them falling toward the ground, one man spins out of control, parachutes open and fragments from the structure puncture holes in the parachute canopy of one man and he falls hard to the ground (we see him uninjured later). A powers surge knocks out power on a ship as it is landing on a planet and it falls too fast and it is not vertical; the captain is overcome by fear and another man takes control of the ship and lands it manually.
► A man finds dead bodies floating inside a space station; one person’s head is wrapped in a plastic bag and we see blood and matter on the bag, two other people float in the air and their skin is blue/grey-tinged. A man inserts a feeding tube into his abdomen and we see other monitor tables on his chest, abdomen and arms as he twitches.
► An astronaut approaches a space station and a power surge knocks out his power; he takes a small capsule to dock with the station, but it is damaged and he climbs out of the capsule and watches it float away as he enters the station. A huge blast from an explosion slams into a space vessel and pushes it through space (we see a bright light and the ship rattles until it moves out of the blast range). We hear a recording of what sounds like people in a panic and screaming as a man describes his people trying to sabotage and commandeer a ship. A man says that life-support was shut down in a part of a ship and people died. A close-up of an astronaut shows him being jostled around but we cannot see where he is or what is happening. There are several scenes of rockets launching and landing on planets. Two flares fall and hit the surface of the moon with a large blast. A man reaches for another man’s hand and he flinches and pulls away. A man is helped out of a space vessel and he falls to his knees briefly.
► A man tells his son, “I never cared about you or your mother.” A woman asks a man, “Are we going to die?” People talk about the threat of a global chain reaction that would destroy all life. We hear that a man on a space mission disappeared 16 years into the mission and is presumed dead. We hear that there are “disputed territories” on the moon and that a group of people will be accompanied by armed personnel. We hear that travel time between Mars and Neptune is 79 days. We hear that a trip from the moon to Mars will take 17 days. We hear that a ship is fitted with nuclear munitions. A man says that he and another man quarreled about his leaving a program. A woman is shown dropping keys on a table and walking out as a man watches her (presumably a wife leaving her husband). A man is told that he has an irregular heartbeat and we then hear that he is having emergency surgery. We see “Crisis Hotline” numbers on signs in a space station. There are many scenes that show a man undergoing psychological evaluations before he can continue with a mission. A man has many flashbacks to his marriage and his youth with and without his father. A comment is made about “The son suffers the sins of the father.”

Ad Astra LANGUAGE 5

 – At least 1 F-word, 1 obscene hand gesture, 4 mild obscenities, name-calling (screwed up, world eaters, traitor, desperate, despicable, Wild West, crazy, monster, Earthlings), 4 religious profanities (GD), 4 religious exclamations (I Think Of God, Doing God’s Work, a prayer to St. Christopher at the start of a space mission, people pray over a dead man before sending his body out into space). | profanity glossary |

Ad Astra SUBSTANCE USE

 – Several astronauts take tablets after they start a mission to Mars (a reference is made to mood stabilizers).

Ad Astra DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Space exploration, lunar travel, the future, intelligent life in the, obsession, heroism, hope, progress, pragmatism, mistakes, abandonment, self-destructive behavior, classified missions, Mars, Neptune, trust, rage, anger, father/son relationships, building walls in relationships, fear, courage, zero gravity, compartmentalizing, antimatter, murder, death of parents, mutiny, work ethic, privacy, truth.

Ad Astra MESSAGE

 – We all need human contact and relationships, even if they complicate missions.