Review #1146: First Man.
Cast:
Ryan Gosling (Neil Armstrong), Claire Foy (Janet Shearon), Corey Stoll (Buzz Aldrin), Pablo Schreiber (Jim Lovell), Jason Clarke (Ed White), Kyle Chandler (Deke Slayton), Christopher Abbott (David Scott), Patrick Fugit (Elliot See), Lukas Haas (Michael Collins), Shea Whigham (Gus Grissom), Brian d'Arcy James (Joseph A. Walker), Cory Michael Smith (Roger B. Chaffee), and J. D. Evermore (Christopher C. Kraft Jr.) Directed by Damien Chazelle.
Review:
Well, this film is a bit different from the horror focus for October, but I find this to be a necessary diversion that I hope you will enjoy.
It is only fitting that this film includes a snippet from President John F. Kennedy and his famous speech on September 12, 1962 about going to the Moon in the decade, saying "not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too." In a sense, the decision to make a biopic covering the years leading up to Apollo 11 and its mission to the Moon through the lens of the commander of its mission, Neil Armstrong is like that speech - using a great deal of creative energy and skill to try and make a film to take the audience on a journey to one of the greatest achievements for mankind from the Earth to the Moon. This is an adaptation of the autobiography First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, written in 2005, with the screenplay by Josh Singer, who has written films such as Spotlight (2015). We know what the final result will be with the mission, but there is never a moment where you feel bored at what the movie wants to show in the years beforehand. One of the first things that I was reminded of during this film was The Right Stuff (1983), which covered the Mercury Seven astronauts alongside others such as Chuck Yeager (after all, there are some people that are depicted in both films such as Deke Slayton, one of the Mercury Seven and the Director of Flight Crew Operations for NASA that chose Armstrong to be the first man) and both films inspire curiosity and excitement for a past age with depth and skill to make a great experience in entertainment. Obviously the film isn't a complete adaptation of the book it is adapting, but it always manages to inspire interest to want to know more about what makes a man such as Armstrong and others to do what they did.
For the most part, the cast all do their respective roles pretty well, all seeming to blend into the people that they are playing with no real distractions. Gosling, playing a man whose family described upon his death as a "reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job", manages to bring a sense of modesty and carefulness that is always watchable and down-to-earth. Foy does a pretty fine job as well, managing to play her scenes off fine with Gosling that generally keeps the movie with some focus on the Armstrong family that tries to make the film have more than one prism of focus. The highlights in the rest of the cast are Stoll, Chandler and Clarke, who each manage to be pretty effective and interesting to follow alongside with that don't get themselves lost in the spectacle. It shines more on a technical level with its depiction of the journey into space than its level with Armstrong and his family, but it ultimately proves to be entirely worth every second of its 141 minute run-time. It isn't a perfect film, mostly due to the fact that it can nearly come to a quiet lull with its family sequences, which are occasionally effective in drama. The film flows smoothly enough, covering pivotal events such as Armstrong's command of Gemini 8 to the Apollo 1 tragedy, each shown with care and respect that resonate quite clearly in the pursuit for space. The music by Justin Hurwitz is well-done, and the cinematography by Linus Sandgren is excellent, with the film having a look and feel that always seems authentic. For me, the best part is the Moon landing sequence, which is simply wonderful to process from launch to the pivotal breathtaking moment. The film builds itself up to a momentous climax and earns the patience taken to get there with good judgement taken by Chazelle to make sure things go as smoothly as possible. This is a very enjoyable biopic for anyone who is curious about some of the details of one of the greatest moments for mankind that will leave its audience eager to pursue further about space and exploration, of which there are numerous films and books to help serve that purpose. In closing, I will include a short quote from Armstrong that I feel is fitting for this review: "Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand."
Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.
