The First Man trailer dropped in the summer of 2018 and I was seriously drooling at the thought of seeing this Oscar contender in IMAX.
Well, I never made it out to IMAX and just watched it at a regular theatre. In one way I’m happy I didn’t spend the extra money, but wish I could have watched the launch and landing on the biggest screen.
Ryan Gosling gives us another amazing performance as Neil Armstrong. He is simple guy, one of NASA’s brightest astronauts, who watches friend after friend die attempting to reach the moon. Not only does have problems at work, his personal life is crumbling at home. What was so revealing to me was how Armstrong was so shut off from his wife (Claire Foy) and his family. I didn’t know him personally and I wasn’t around in the 1960’s to read the gossip columns, so who is to know how true this really is. I think that aspect of his life was a major drawback for me, which took some of the shine off the movie for me.
The story is so enticing when he’s at NASA trying to achieve one of mankind’s greatest feats. When he returns home day after day, the story goes in a completely direction. Maybe this was the whole point of the film, to showcase the stresses associated with such a task. That even the strongest people are vulnerable to the pressure and expectations.
If you want to watch some really awesome scenes with shuttle launches, space travel in tiny ships, and what life is like on the moon, you won’t be disappointed. The action sequences more than make up the melodrama of Armstrong’s home life. The supporting cast get you through the story by propping up our two leads and let them work their magic in their characters.
My hopes were sky-high and I felt a little let down. Maybe some of you had no expectations and loved this movie. I think at the end of it all, the movie probably divided the audience like it did me. 6/10
Ten Stars or Less 