First Man Review

Damien Chazelle delivers a thrilling space adventure. Whilst it may not
pack the tap dancing charm in La La Land, it carries the same level of
intensity and excitement from his directorial debut, Whiplash. First
Man excels in both spectacle and character, making it the best space film since
Interstellar. First Man gives a personal insight on Neil Armstrong’s life,
played by Ryan Gosling, as a family man and an astronaut. We follow his
every step move of his iconic space mission from the first man to walk on the
moon, with the accompanying of his wife Janet Armstrong (Claire Foy).

First Man is an adaptation from the book “Man: the Life of Neil Armstrong”
by James R. Hansen, which is known to be a more personal take on his life.
Damien Chazelle certainly adopts this format of realistic storytelling and
filmmaking. He uses hand held camera shots, which has failed in many
Hollywood action films, but if done well, it can successfully reflect the ideal
traits of the documentary genre, known as Cinema Verite. Here it works
flawlessly, giving all of the action and dramatic moments a sense of untamed
realism. It was in Damien Chazelles interest to pursue this project as a thriller,
both the hand held camera shots and thriller aspect combine to form its own
subgenre, as if it’s a documentary blockbuster.
This is Damien Chazelle’s and Ryan Gosling’s second pairing, along with
director of photography Linus Sandgren, who brought visual flare to La La
Land, but aims for a more grounded approach this time around. This is Ryan
Gosling’s second major role in the sci fi genre, last year it was the critical hit
Blade Runner: 2049. This time, he brings an element of his silent persona
from Drive, but adds more subtle emotion. In one scene, he is telling his kids
about the risk of taking the mission and how there is a possibility of him not
coming back. On the surface, he seems relaxed but you can tell there is a great
deal of feared uncertainty behind this mask he is putting up. This is
sumptuous acting and makes for an emotional scene. The film boasts some
bold looking action sequences, which is accompanied by one the best scores of
the year, ‘The Landing’ by Justin Hurtwitz. The highlight scene is the last
landing sequence. It pioneers realistic practical effects along with lush
cinematography; it puts the audience right in the shuttle. With this, Damien
Chazelle’s intentions behind the camera are very clear.
With biopic films, it is crucial that the production design is realistic and
accurate. Here it is handled by Nathan Crowley, who was responsible for
Interstellar, which also featured ground breaking spectacle and he brings it
again this time around. It is highly reminiscent of the 60’s period through all
aspects of its production; even the costume design by Mary Zophres is on
point. These are needed elements to include in biopic films, as if these aspects
fail then the whole viewing experience greatly diminishes, because the realism
is gone.

Thematically, It puts a lot of emphasis on risk taking and the consequences
that it entails. The whole film rides on the ability to pursue a big goal, which is
based off a limited level of evidence and research. Their space mission is based
off chance and whether or not the landing conditions would be appropriate
and you feel that uncertain tension throughout. Neil Armstrong’s family life is
portrayed as distant at times. The distant aspect reflects his inability to
express his true emotions, making him seem cold at times towards his family.
All of the scenes in the household are tranquil and elegant. The hand held
camera shots are perfectly utilized in these scenes, making it feel realistic and
authentic to documentary style. In some of these scenes, ‘the landing’ by
Justin Hurtwitz is playing, but its toned down subtly. You really notice the
contrast and it compliments the mise en scene nicely.
First Man is one of the best films of the year and it’s certainly one of the best
sci-fi films to come out in recent years, with its excellent pursuit in realism
from the intense action sequences and heartfelt drama, its inevitable the
viewer will be taken on a memorable ride. It’s always a goal, to write a
balanced review but its rather difficult to critique a film that achieves its
mission in all aspects in portraying this remarkable story and figure, I give
First Man 5/5.