Note: This is more of a commentary on Evangelion, much less a review. I felt it was necessary to provide a bit of a background on the world of Evangelion, hence the first few paragraphs talk about the TV series, aired in 1995 - this part contains spoilers for the later episodes of that. A caution for when the spoilers for the film begin has been marked a few paragraphs below.

If there was anything to galvanize your interest towards…

It's baffling how the wonderment of space exploration is nowhere to be found in this. There's no emotion, no sentimentality, no element to signify the vast plains of space and the grandness that can unfold when travelling that far into the unknown. James Gray somehow manages to concoct a film that is utterly devoid of the excitement that would prop up in an astronomically-inflexed creation, a more pared-down one or otherwise. Ad Astra, in short, is lifeless, dull, unimaginative, apathetic,…

In essence, what Aronofsky dares to cross here is a tightrope - framing ballet isn't easy, plus the undertaking of making it such a compelling yarn is admirable - and he does so valiantly; aided by a plethora of metaphorical undercurrents enveloped by an admonition for perfection, nimbly sparring the viewer through samples of horror only to entwine them with riveting character study and melodrama. There's a certain authenticity about this film, and Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis have all…