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As long as you're not anticipating a repeat of the original, Gremlins 2 is actually a very clever and enjoyable ride.

Never get him wet, keep him out of the light, and (most importantly) never ever feed him after midnight.

There all sorts of weirdly exciting things going on in Ad Astra, like space monkeys, lunar buggy pirates, and electromagnetic pulses from Neptune that threaten to destroy life on Earth (and maybe in the solar system) as we know it. Commuter flights to the Moon! Humans born on Mars! Secret rocket bases on the dark side of the Moon! Yeah, see? I'm intrigued! I love a good space story as much as anybody else!

But Ad Astra, beyond being full of interesting ideas and even better cinematography (it looks fantastic), is a moody snoozer of a naval-gazing sci-fi film that never convinced me that it was as smart as it thinks it is.

Ad Astra is a film that seems to believe – and subsequently wants its audience to believe – that it’s a lot more philosophical and meaningful than it actually is. Austere, quiet and incredibly s-l-o-w – but beautifully shot – the set-in-the-“near future” film is unconvincingly introspective, presenting audiences with what I think is meant to be a powerful father/son-centric story about life and purpose... that ultimately feels fairly lifeless and purposeless.

What happens when you bully the weird kid who wants desperately to fit in? They grow up. And if you've worn them down enough, chances are they're carrying around a lot of damage on top of whatever made them weird in the first place. If you think this is not your problem, you should probably watch Ma.

"My god..."
"...Zilla!"