Ad Astra keeps its focus on a classic father-son journey and personal struggle, rarely sidetracked by diversity checklists or identity politics. The characters, especially Brad Pitt’s protagonist, are developed through genuine conflict and emotional arcs, not identity quotas. Very little points to forced representation or narrative deviations for the sake of messaging. Any attempts at modern themes are secondary to the central human story.

The film wrestles with fatherhood, duty, and masculinity, treating these themes with a degree of seriousness rarely seen in contemporary Hollywood. While it questions some traditional expectations, it avoids full-on mockery or subversion. There’s a contemplative take on loneliness and human connection, but it refrains from outright undermining traditional values or moral structures.

Ad Astra doesn’t beat viewers over the head with contemporary ideological messaging. Its worldview is broad and open to interpretation, avoiding obvious villainization of dissenting perspectives or a chorus of modern moral assumptions. If anything, the film is refreshingly pluralistic, focusing on a flawed protagonist with choices, regrets, and doubts instead of a lecture hall’s worth of slogans.