First Man (2018 Film) Review
In "First Man," Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong, who we all know to be the man who first walked on the moon, and this film chronicles certain steps leading up to that legendary event. Claire Foy plays Neil's first wife, Janet. The supporting cast includes actors like Corey Stoll as Buzz Aldrin and Pablo Schreiber as Jim Lowell.
As mentioned, Damien Chazelle directed "First Man." It is the fourth film that he has directed. His other three films being "La La Land,” "Whiplash,” and “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench.” Chazelle also produces along with Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, and Isaac Klausner. Josh Singer adapted James R. Hansen's biographical book, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, into a screenplay for this movie.
Introduction
First off, it's curious to find that while we've had many movies about the space race, there has yet to be one about Neil Armstrong and the moon landing. Leading up to this film with that realization, I became even more enthusiastic about "First Man." Forget the fact that it's directed by Damien Chazelle, a man who last directed a film that gets better and better on repeat viewing, this is the general audience's first chance to see the moon landing. What an opportunity for Chazelle! Does he hit a bullseye with such an opportunity? Yes, but he does have some trouble with hitting that bullseye.
Overall Thoughts
Let's make this clear: Damien Chazelle doesn't miss the target. He cast talented actors who give excellent performances in this film. On a technical level, "First Man" is a marvel. There are simply a few risks that he takes that simultaneously work and don't work. It's just one noticeable error that affects the movie in multiple divisions. That is the editing.
In terms of story, "First Man" is much more complicated than originally anticipated. Unfortunately, it fails to be supported because of the way it's edited. The story is told linearly, but it's hard to follow because it's edited so sparsely. It doesn't seem to have a solid through line and as one sequence follows another, the unclear transitions make it difficult to follow the story. This unusual problem makes scenes that, if edited differently, could have been played much slower. Instead, the editing choice makes them feel rushed, though it still has a runtime of one hundred and thirty-eight minutes. The film also ends abruptly and when it does, it felt somewhat unsatisfying. Not that I needed any more of the film, it just lacks a clear conclusion.
Unlike other space exploration movies, "First Man" refuses to shy away from the seemingly insurmountable risks that were taken to get to the moon. This includes not having sweeping shots of clean rocket ships, but hand-held shots of unpolished vessels that could burst with the slightest miscalculation. Whenever something gets tense in the numerous tests, the camerawork immediately becomes shaky. I couldn't tell what the problem was for these guys, only that there was a problem. Maybe that was what Damien Chazelle intended, but then how do explain the scenes that do not take place in a capsule. There, it's also difficult to tell what is happening exactly. You can practically feel the cameraman being jittery. In some sequences, I understand the desire to have such an approach for the camerawork. That doesn't mean I understand why the camera needs to be fidgety for more than half of the film's runtime.
Before I get into the cast and their respective characters, I want to address the so-called controversy around not showing the planting of the American flag when Neil and Buzz land on the moon. Yes, it's true that they do not show it, but the fact that it's a controversy is ridiculous. If you're paying attention to the story, you'll know that "First Man" does hint at it. It's just not given it's moment. That's because this movie is about Neil Armstrong, not the moon landing itself. Need any proof? Look no further than the simple fact that "First Man" is based on a biography of the same name that's subtitled "The Life of Neil Armstrong," so if you have a problem why it doesn't show some parts of historic events, or if you question the historical accuracy of some of Neil's personal choices, I direct you to the biography. I haven't read it, but I'd wager that it does hold the factual information that the film's story builds on.
The Cast
Though "First Man" was one of the five films that I was looking forward to seeing the most this year, I wasn't sure how I felt about the casting of Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong. To be fair, I don't know a ton about who Armstrong was to pass judgment on whether Gosling was appropriately-cast. I simply remember myself saying something along the lines of, "He's an unusual choice." Throughout all the marketing, Gosling didn't do anything to sway my view of his casting into the like or dislike camps, so I waited until after seeing this film to judge him and now that I have, he's strongly in the like camp. As it should be, "First Man" rests on the performance of Ryan Gosling. He is absolutely critical to how this film turns out and since he puts his all into into his role, the story warrants all the emotions that it puts you through. Gosling doesn't hold anything back in terms of his talents as an actor. He goes all in and is so good, that I actually forgot that he was in the part. "First Man" portrays him as stoic figure, someone who elects to put his emotions in check, even when he's having a conversation with his kids about the likelihood of him coming home. On the rare occasion that he does have emotional breakdowns, the sight's a real tearjerker. Now whether those scenes are historically accurate, I do not yet know, but Ryan Gosling was rightfully cast as Neil Armstrong. His performance made me forget that the actor was acting.
The trailers for "First Man" did not sell me on Claire Foy's casting as Neil's first wife, Janet Shearon. For me, they hinted at a standard role for the actress and it was initially disappointing because I had recently started watching the Netflix show, "The Crown," and Foy is remarkable there. In reality, "First Man" gives as much a role for Claire Foy as it does for Ryan Gosling. Obvious, the film follows Neil Armstrong, but the scenes where he isn't in a spacecraft are spent with his family. More specifically, his wife. The two actors have an engaging rapport and "First Man" sets ups, though does not show, the falling out that the two had years later. Claire Foy is given the best lines of the film and does right by them with her delivery. One of those lines was heard in the trailers. Out of context, it isn't as nearly as effective. In the movie itself, the line elicited a few "wows" from the audience. I'd be lying if I said that Claire Foy didn't give as good performance as Ryan Gosling because her performance was that engaging. Together, the two are the highlights of "First Man" beyond its technical achievements.
The trailers for "First Man" did not sell me on Claire Foy's casting as Neil's first wife, Janet Shearon. For me, they hinted at a standard role for the actress and it was initially disappointing because I had recently started watching the Netflix show, "The Crown," and Foy is remarkable there. In reality, "First Man" gives as much a role for Claire Foy as it does for Ryan Gosling. Obvious, the film follows Neil Armstrong, but the scenes where he isn't in a spacecraft are spent with his family. More specifically, his wife. The two actors have an engaging rapport and "First Man" sets ups, though does not show, the falling out that the two had years later. Claire Foy is given the best lines of the film and does right by them with her delivery. One of those lines was heard in the trailers. Out of context, it isn't as nearly as effective. In the movie itself, the line elicited a few "wows" from the audience. I'd be lying if I said that Claire Foy didn't give as good performance as Ryan Gosling because her performance was that engaging. Together, the two are the highlights of "First Man" beyond its technical achievements.
The Road to the Moon
The opening scene of "First Man" is my favorite part of the movie. It features Neil on one of his test flights to explore the limits of gravity, resulting in him getting caught in zero g for a brief period of time. Concepts like that are a novel idea. For as many movies about the space race that we have, none of the dangers that arise from exploring uncharted territory have resonated so much. Director Damien Chazelle paints space in an enigmatic picture. As it establishes how baffling it can be, the feeling is amplified in each of the sequences where our brave astronauts attempt to push the frontier of what's known.
Each of these scenes are void of any tranquility. It's absolute chaos once the rockets launch. Instead of sweeping music playing over a triumphant moment, we are bombarded by noise and a feeling of uneasiness as the astronauts all have expressions that convey the gravity of what they signed up for. Each of these men are doing their best to keep their fear in check, despite knowing that if anything goes wrong, they are practically powerless to do anything about it. Damien Chazelle is able to infuse all the terror possible, which makes man's eventual landing on the moon all the more triumphant. With that said, whatever interest I had in becoming an astronaut has been completely obliterated by this movie.
Score
The journey to the moon features few success and plenty of failures. Once mankind is at the point where they can successfully break through Earth's atmosphere, "First Man" is a few lines of dialogue away from becoming a silent film, almost entirely relying on the score to coney all the emotion.
Like "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "Interstellar" before it, the exploration of space is made better with the inclusion of a musical score. Justin Hurwitz is composing and it's clear that he understands the underlying intensity and sadness that the whole film contains within itself. He brings them to the forefront and even elevates them to an eleven with some tearjerking music.
The score is a powerful mix of elegance and roughness, a perfect summarization of what space is. Neil and Buzz's successful landing on the moon made me unfathomably jovial. Not just because of the actor's raw emotion, but because Hurwitz's delivers a symphony of sounds that's a part of a soundtrack that's surely to go down as one of the best musical scores of 2018.
Grade: B+
Though it has problems with its editing ability and camerawork, "First Man" is made a standout among biographical dramas because of exceptional performances from Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy, edge-of-your-seat tension, and Justin Hurwitz's musical score.
Definitely see "First Man" in an IMAX theater. It's the only way to fully understand how well-made it is. If you can't, then still see it in theaters. It is worth you time and money. I'd be weary of bringing young ones to see this film. Not because of its content, but because it might prove to be too long for them to sit through.
Conclusion
I invite you to share your thoughts on my review of "First Man" as well as any recommendations for future reviews. Thanks for reading, I'm Dallin, the Film Fanatic. I'll see you next time with another article.
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