First Man: Movie Review
4.5 out of 5
One of — if not the single greatest American achievement of all time — was when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon. Of course, many more men came after him — but let’s be honest — the only one most people remember is Mr. Armstrong. An entire world was transfixed by watching him descend the steps of the lunar module to a surface that no one ever thought would be touched. Then the famous line, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” I wasn’t even alive for that — but it still gives me chills to see that grainy footage, and to try to imagine watching that live. It all happened in 1969, thinking of that happening NOW is almost unfathomable. I hope I get to witness something like that someday — but for now “First Man” does a pretty good job of taking you back in time.
Trust me when I say — it feels like you were there, or as close to what I imagine it would have felt like. Not only to have lived in that era, but also to have ridden in the rockets. The look of the movie, the sound of the movie, the set design of the movie — and everything in between — especially the scenes at NASA. has a documentary feel to it. Almost as if you are in the rooms as these men and women go from the Gemini missions through Apollo 11. And again, the rocket scenes, the lunar capsule and module scenes — and the moments on the Moon — all feel very visceral and real. I simply cannot imagine the strength, bravery and almost craziness it took to sit atop thousands of gallons of gas and launch on a ball of fire to a target nearly 250,000 miles away. The sheer concentration these first men had to have was simply mind boggling. I dare say most human beings would have passed out from fear in the first moments of the launch —but then to have the ability to stay alert enough to land a vehicle on the moon, and then come back — is just incredible.
Okay — enough fawning over the astronauts — let’s get to the movie in more detail. First, Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong. I’ll admit I don’t know enough about Mr. Armstrong to know if Gosling’s portrayal of him is accurate — but according to the astronaut’s family — he did very well. Just from an acting standpoint, Gosling shows a very quiet, serious man — deeply wounded from the loss of his daughter Karen, at a very early age. Though it seems his face rarely changes expression throughout the film, he conveys a lot of different emotions with his body language and with his eyes. Even though he does not display a wide array of emotions — Gosling does a superb job of letting it all come through the screen. Claire Foy (Janet Armstrong) turns in an equally impressive performance as Armstrong’s wife. The two of them seem to share a strong bond throughout the film — saying a lot without actually saying anything. Speaking of the bravery of the men — the astronaut wives’ instestinal fortitude had to be off the charts as well. It might not seem like it now — but imagine some 60 years ago watching your spouse drive away in a car and thinking that they’re on their way to the moon. Again, it just seems crazy.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by really good performances, good enough that you are drawn in and can’t take your eyes off of the screen — even in the slower moving parts of the movie. It just feels as though every second is heavy and important, as you take this journey. Director Damien Chazelle, known for “Lalaland” and “10 Cloverfield Lane” among others — took incredible heat in the early rounds of press regarding the planting of the American flag — or lack thereof. Most of that was set off by Ryan Gosling’s comment about it being a “human achievement as much as an American one.” Anyone that knows anything about the history of that time — knows it was a HUGE American moment, especially in light of the space race with Russia. I don’t think Gosling really meant anything by what he said, but in politically charged times — anything can be used as gas for a fire. Chazelle, for his part, said it was not meant as a slight — but rather just a decision to show other things. So for those of you thinking you’ll skip it because it’s “anti-American,” you’d be wrong to do so. Not only is the American / Russia aspect played very clearly, the American Flag is on display throughout the movie, as well as “USA,” “United States of America,” and several other patriotic moments. As for the flag planting scene — while it is not shown — there are in fact 2 shots of the American Flag flying proudly on the moon’s surface. Though the movie is about the race to the moon, America vs. Russia, and all that goes with it — the story at its core really is about Neil Armstrong and what he went through as a man, father, friend and astronaut — and the struggle he had balancing all of those things at the same time.
If you ever saw the movie “The Right Stuff” from 1984, detailing the Mercury missions and the first Americans in space — this movie almost seems like a sequel to that film. It has the same look, feel, pacing and attention to detail given to the importance of such a huge accomplishment. I really enjoyed it, and I think you will too.
“First Man” is playing now and is rated PG-13 for some thematic content involving peril, and brief strong language.
