I truly don’t get it. The reviews for Dark Phoenix back in June were sub-standard at best. It may be because I had the bar of expectation so low but I thoroughly enjoyed it (read its leadership lessons here). The reviews for Brad Pitt’s new film Ad Astra are excellent. Maybe it’s because I had the bar of expectation so high for the movie but I thought the movie was sub-standard at best. So did everyone around me leaving the movie.
In fact, Ad Astra is Bad Astra.
The movie centers astronaut Roy McBride’s, played by Pitt, search for his missing father of 30 years who appears to be connected to an energy pulse which could destroy the universe. Regardless of the level of danger, McBride’s pulse never goes above 80 and the movie has a similar energy level – very docile and monotone throughout. There was no tension, suspense or characters you really care about. I was just disappointed. Once again, maybe I had the bar set too high.
Also, there were about four needless GDs.
The following are 19 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Ad Astra. All quotes are from Pitt’s character Roy McBride unless otherwise noted.
- Everything Rises And Falls On Leadership – What got me to this film was Brad Pitt. His involvement attracted attention, talent, and my financial resources.
- Successful Leaders Focus On Essentials And Not The Unimportant – “I’m ready, focused only to face the essential. I will not let my mind linger on that which is unimportant.”
- Successful Leaders Attempt To Minimize Mistakes – “I will not be vulnerable to mistakes.”
- Smart Leaders Understand The Impact Of Their Leadership On Their Family – “It’s a dangerous business. It’s fair not to subject others to it.”
- Successful Leaders Look For Solutions Rather Than Escapes – Donald Sutherland’s tragically under-utilized character Thomas Pruitt said, “A voyage for exploration can be for something as simple as escape.”
- Successful Leaders See Abundance. Unsuccessful Leaders See Scarcity. – “Here we go again. Fighting over resources.”
- Successful Leaders Remain Calm In The Face Of Chaos – A military commander said to McBride, “Your pulse has never gone above 80.”
- Successful Leaders Do Their Jobs And Go Home – “We go to work. We do our jobs and it’s over. We’re gone.”
- All Leaders Have Daddy Issues – “I don’t want to be my dad.”
- Pitt did a manual override to land on Mars.
- Leaders Can Lose Perspective When They Become Too Personally Involved – A behavioral analyst told McBride, “Your personal connection has made you unsuitable for the remainder of the mission.”
- Leaders Must Deal With Problems Rather Than Avoid Them – “I will deal with him. I will deal with my father.”
- Successful Leaders Remain Fully-Committed Until Their Mission Is Finished – “I am in route to Neptune. I remain fully-committed until the mission is completed.”
- Leaders Aren’t Always Right – “I’m terrified even now. In the end the son suffers the sins of his father.”
- Everyone Seeks Approval From Their Father – “I love you dad.”
- Even Successful Leaders Can Lose Perspective – “He could only see what was not there and miss what was right in front of him.”
- “I am focused on the essential to the exclusion of all else.”
- “I will live and love.”
- Successful Leaders Get The Job Done – At the end of the day, McBride made it to Neptune, briefly re-united with his father, destroyed the electric pulse and made it back to Earth.
Once again, I was disappointed in Ad Astra but let me know what you think.
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