On the surface, “First Man” appears to be a film about the Apollo 11 Moon landing but it digs much deeper than that. This biopic tells the story of Neil Armstrong, a man whose failures and personal losses shaped him into the perfect candidate to man the first mission to the Moon. The film begins with Armstrong’s days as a NASA test pilot before detailing his training in the Gemini program and the life-threatening dangers faced by these astronauts. Consequently, only about 20 minutes of the 140-minute film is spent on the actually Apollo 11 mission but Armstrong’s journey is important to understanding the success of the mission. I will state the obvious first: this film will make a strong showing at the Oscars in the technical categories. The Moon landing sequence is so vivid that you will think that it is authentic footage of the events. It is one of the most artistic moments that you will see in any film this season. The sound in the action sequences builds tension, pairing perfectly with the GCI and practical effects to transport us to the Moon alongside the characters. I honestly lost my awareness that this was a film and not a documentary throughout the film. Despite its incredible effects and cinematography, I still prefer “Apollo 13” for its superior storytelling and acting. The main issue with “First Man” is that you walk into it expecting a space adventure but it is actually a character-driven drama that happens to cross paths with the space race. The film moves very slow and the nature of Ryan Gosling’s character hinders him from giving the emotional lead performance that can drive a film’s energy. Claire Foy has a solid shot at the Best Supporting Actress Oscar with her two impassioned scenes but the rest of the cast is a bit bland. On the other end of the spectrum, the soundtrack is perfection as it captures both the loneliness of the characters and the mystery of space. Justin Hurwitz realizes the necessity for musical simplicity in a film like this to keep the music from overshadowing the subtlety of the characters. Within this framework, he incorporates unique sounds like the theremin and creates memorable musical moments like the whimsical “Docking Waltz.” Oddly enough, the score may be too similar to last year’s winner (the otherworldly “The Shape of Water”) to secure an Oscar win, but I’m sure that it will be nominated. One of the most confusing (and controversial) aspects of the film is the purposeful omission of the astronauts planting the American flag on the Moon. Whether the decision was politically motivated or not, it counteracts the story's patriotic theme and its emphasis on NASA's urgency for the United States to win the space race. Overall, I was a bit disappointed by “First Man” because I had an expectation of watching a space adventure; still, director Damien Chazelle has done an amazing job of realizing this historic event fully in context and making us feel like we’ve traveled to the Moon with Neil Armstrong.
[Pictured: The imagery of the Moon landing sequence instantly become iconic]
