First Man tells the story of Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and the decade that led up to his historic mission to the moon in 1969. It shows a personal story rather than focusing on the bigger picture; detailing the inner workings of his family life and the tragedy that seems to follow those close to him.
A large part of the story centers around Janet Armstrong (Claire Foy), who has the responsibility of being the emotional core of the family, where Neil is largely detached due to an event that happens as he starts seeing success in NASA.
This is Damien Chazelle’s third studio feature film after two recent masterpieces – Whiplash and La La Land. He is a young director that has already seen great success, but First Man is the first movie that he hasn’t written. This story was based off the book by James R. Hansen and an adapted screenplay by Josh Singer (The Post, Spotlight). It’s not a bad script in the least, but it feels that Chazelle isn’t as attached to the material.
It’s going to sound weird to call First Man a misstep, because it’s honestly not. It’s as gorgeous as it needs to be, while it’s a true story, there is still plenty of tension and there are some reliable performances by the supporting cast. This could definitely be on my top ten list at the end of the year. Though, it sadly won’t take the top spot, which I had wanted it to so badly in this weak cinematic year.
Gosling shows up and puts on the disaffected mopey face that has worked in so many films, but doesn’t ever make you root for Armstrong or sympathize with him. It’s up to Claire Foy to fill the gaps and make the family vignettes stronger. While there isn’t much for her character to do, she carries a large portion of the movie.
The theme of this movie seems to be fragility. Everything, no matter how much you’ve studied, how much love you’ve given it, or how much work you’ve put into it, is fragile. This was especially true in the case of NASA and its space race with Russia in the ’60s. Both sides were so eager to be the first to do everything, that they’d throw a fair amount of caution to the wind to achieve victory.
The unique aspect of First Man is its perspective. Most space exploration movies show a grand shuttle liftoff complete with epic music and what everything looks like from the outside looking in. First Man takes us all inside the tiny claustrophobic shuttle in nearly every instance. We see space as the astronauts see it; through a tiny iced-over window. Yet, even this simplified perspective doesn’t take away from the grandeur of the ending.
I’d recommend First Man as it’s a really good movie, but it does not achieve greatness. It’s a one-time IMAX viewing that you may never need to see again. It’s just over 2 hours 20 minutes, so get ready for a long trip. It’s a well-crafted movie by extremely talented individuals, but needed to be less one-note and focus less on shaky cam. It’s still a healthy B+, but this may be the most disappointing high grade I’ve ever given.
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