First Man - Review Thread

Almost great. Pretty close. There is some really great stuff in First Man. First off, there are the flight scenes, which really aim to put you in the driver's seat, so to speak. Chazelle does this by lots of first person views and pulling the camera in tight. it really gives you a sense of the danger these guys were in, and was quite exhilarating. There are essentially three main scenes where we see this: one at the beginning, middle, and end. They are all unique and all work very well.

The other major plus to First Man is Ryan Gosling. He has put in yet another excellent performance. He crafts a very interesting character (its weird saying character about a real-life figure, but apt at the same time I think) in Neil Armstrong. He's one of those men who speak seldom, but when he does its time to listen. I absolutely loved the scene where he is interviewed for the space program, and would actually put that right up there with the three big space set pieces.

But the character also comes across strong in smaller moments and basic lines of dialogue that work not just because of the writing, but also because Gosling's delivery is spot on. Parts like when Aldrin is talking about Astronauts who just died and says "I'm just saying what we're all thinking", he simply replies with "Well, maybe you shouldn't." Its a great example of understanding a character through the simplest of means.

So what holds it back fro greatness? Its the home story, sad to say. Learning about his life at home is important as it brings this legend from the history books down to earth.. It also gives us some emotional context with his daughter's illness. but in the second half of the movie, the relationship aspects with Mrs. Armstrong and his sons doesn't really work. It feels obligatory more than anything, and I really think the film would have benefited from scaling back a bit on the home life aspect.

Its still one of the better movies of 2018 to be sure.

9/10

The dominant theme of Damien Chazelle's filmography is a simple question: "was it worth it?" Whiplash was all about a young man pushing himself to the peak of his artistry in spite of the massive damage to his mental health and personal life. La La Land was about how, in pursuing their individual dreams, sacrifice their own relationships. And now, we come to First Man. First Man also brings the personal dimension to this question, following Neil Armstrong's efforts with NASA to reach the moon before the Soviets, despite Armstrong's own marriage struggling and Armstrong himself suffering from personal loss. But additionally, Chazelle also elevates the question to a national level, observing the many astronauts whose lives were lost in the efforts to reach the moon, while also discussing the massive amount of resources that to went into such endeavor. And for what? To reach a lifeless rock? I've seen some describe Armstrong's final moments on the moon as an anticlimax, but that is perhaps the film's greatest strength. The scant few, quiet moments we spend on the moon, more than anything emphasize the emptiness of such an endeavor. Armstrong poured everything into this goal, just as NASA and the U.S. government did. But was it really worth it?

I love this question, and as such, it stands to reason that I loved First Man, right? Well, not exactly. Much as I recognize the central theme of First Man, I don't know if it ever fully came together fully. This theme of sacrifice is somewhat offset by a lack of willingness to really "go there" in regards to the toll such work took on Armstrong. His marriage certainly comes with its share of conflict, but isn't exactly fraught, and the film goes out of its way to show Armstrong being a loving father. You could argue this goes to build a more nuanced protagonist, but I'd argue these scenes are poorly paced. Furthermore, we never got a drag out argument or domestic conflict to really hammer home the personal struggle Armstrong and his family experience. Consequently, while I can intellectually recognize the question of "was it worth it?", emotionally it doesn't fully resonate.

I could make a similar argument for the film's more nationalistic questions. There's a really good montage which asks to what extent the space race was a truly worthy endeavor given the many problems citizens face every day on Earth and the film also emphasizes the loss of lives when it comes to astronauts in the program. And yet, the pointlessness of such sacrifice is never emphasized as much as it maybe should be. For all the lip-service the film pays to the cost of the space program, it ultimately seems to accept such sacrifice as serving a greater good. Admittedly, I might have felt better about this subplot had the domestic side of First Man be more fully fleshed out, but as it is I found myself looking for such resonance in other places.

In case it isn't clear, I have pretty mixed feelings about First Man. The elements are in place for me to really love it. In addition to the thematic interest, Ryan Gosling gives a really strong lead performance, the cast as a whole is rock solid, Chazelle brings an interesting mix of intensity and fear to the set-pieces, and the score is really damn good. And yet, First Man just didn't totally do it for me. The question of "was it worth it" is certainly there, but it feels diluted (possibly to appease Armstrong's family and NASA, who the filmmakers are no doubt indebted to) to the point where emotional investment is minimal. While I sat watching First Man contemplating the questions it asks, I ultimately felt very little. I would like to watch the film again, but at the moment, First Man is an effort I respect more than I actually enjoy. That all said, there's definitely a lot to value here and, in spite of my problems, the film is one of the more interesting efforts I've seen all year.

B