First Man

At first glance, this is an odyssey bordering on a thriller: stark, direct, and overwhelming, where I honestly don't understand how the same Damien Chazelle who beautifully dreamed and overflowed with romantic ideas in La La Land is now sitting in the director's chair. In the narrative establishing shot, there is a pure insight into a man's painful soul, at first just wandering, then palpable, then ultimately irreversible – and that is such a force in a silent moonlit landscape that it outshines even the formally perfect aerial sequences. Ryan Gosling's unfathomable gaze into emptiness hasn't been such a good fit in a long time. (10/30/2018)

I haven't seen Whiplash, I didn't enjoy the cheesy La La Land, but I'm unreservedly excited about First Man. Captivating aerial scenes of all kinds (you feel like you are sitting there with him/them) interspersed with no less dramatic scenes from that “ordinary family life," Ryan Gosling once again acts well and I believed his character. At the same time, the script is not a classic biographical affair which, when watching it, the viewer just in spirit ticks off items and gets to the limit of kitsch only in the end (the bracelet), but it balances it, doesn't fall, and doesn’t hurt itself. I also enjoy being able to praise the music once again. Justin Hurwitz is playing the theremin, accompanying the scene with Gemini with a waltz and peaking as dramatically as if Hans Zimmer had collaborated with Philip Glass. I'm very much looking forward to the soundtrack. (10/11/2018)

First Man is an enthralling evocation of the time when spaceflight was not a matter of course and undertaken at the whim of millionaires, but rather an uncertain enterprise that required sacrifice and tremendous determination. At the same time, it is a perfect example of how to build an absorbing and thrilling narrative from a story whose end everyone already knows. (01/14/2019)

A realistic biographical drama with emphasis on what must be sacrificed in the interest of science. In terms of style, it’s a cross between Interstellar and The Tree of Life. Gosling’s is excellent as Armstrong, an intelligent guy who can look after himself, although with dulled feelings after of all the death (his farewell with his kids using sentences intended for a press conference is a good example). During the ending, Chazelle does not stoop to giving us a climax with great pathos, where the hero and his friends achieve the goal, simply because most of his companions have been killed. The shots from the Moon are duly impressive and the effect is exquisite. Primarily, they aren’t spoiled by any flag planting. Beautiful music. Excellent. I see the Moon, the Moon sees me... (10/17/2018)

What comes to mind is of course a comparison with Interstellar, Gravity or, God forbid (the premise!) Apollo 11. In the first two instances, the similarities are visual while in the third case they relate to the plot. However, The First Man is still a unique film, by which Damien Chazelle managed to blow the minds of everyone who were looking forward to a typical action flick with everything it entails. Because The First Man is everything but an action flick, even though it is full of suspense. My only regret is that this film is too long. Certain dialogues could’ve used some cutting. I however liked looking at Neil Armstrong with his own eyes. Naturally the most visually compelling part of the film is its second half that beautifully shows Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. It almost makes you think that the director and cameraman actually landed on the Moon again to take these breathtaking shots. I can imagine that watching this in a cinema must be absolutely fantastic. Ryan Gosling is of course a great choice. I didn’t think he would come unprepared for his role of Neil Armstrong. Moreover, the political debates revolving around NASA were a welcome bonus. (10/16/2019)