First Man
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler
I love movies about astronauts particularly this story and I
wasn’t disappointed. With Steven Spielberg serving as an executive producer,
Ryan Gosling as the lead character, and a plot based on James Hansen’s
biography of Neil Armstrong, First Man was always set to be a winner and so it
proved. Back in a time when the idea of walking on the moon was as ludicrous as
flying cars or teleportation, the film follows the story of the man who
accomplished what seemed impossible. It is the tale of the giant leap for
humanity. But it’s not all about going down in history. Armstrong is also shown
as he has to face tough questions – a heartbreaking “Do you think you’re coming
back?” from his son – to show the human side of the national hero who went on
one of the most dangerous missions ever. It’s no easy game being an astronaut.
Damien Chazelle explored the emotional sacrifices artists
must make for their work. His latest, a flame-kissed Neil Armstrong biopic
starring a tightly coiled Gosling as the mythical moonwalker, is similarly a
film about emotional repression and simmering male anger, but this time the
canvas is bigger (Literally: The movie switches to IMAX mode when Armstrong and
crew hit the surface of the big rock.) Chazelle's cold approach to examining
individuals with an unhealthy work-life balance has often felt overwrought to
me, but here, with Gosling stoically burying his feelings in pursuit of
celestial glory, he's launched himself into a different artistic stratosphere.
The flight sequences are visceral; the domestic scenes are no less tense.
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