First Man Review

First Man is a film directed by Damien Chazelle. I remember this film being announced 2 years ago and I have waited a long time for this. SO naturally this film was one of the most anticipated of this year’s. In addition to that I wanted to see what the combo of Damien and Ryan had for me. After the film ended, the film lover in me was over-joyed.

Plot: Follows Neil Armstrong and the years leading up to the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969.

Story and direction: The main hero of the film is the script by Josh Singer and director Damien Chazelle. Singer who has some great films to his credit (SPOTLIGHT, THE POST) has written an emotional and thrilling story. This went on to show that how well the director understood what the writer wanted to say on the screen. The film has its moments of thrill and emotions. And never for a single moment those went overboard, there was a balance between the two. Also, I did love the way Damien has used practical effects instead of VFX (an age where VFX is used in almost 90% films). I remember in every scene involving spacecrafts I was terrified for the safety of those in it (although I still knew the results in some scenes). The emotions depicted are so apt and correct that I could very well connect to the pain these characters are experiencing. The score by Justin Hurwitz is another plus point. I especially liked the track titled ‘The Landing’ (Yes, I did look up the name after watching the movie). I did like the way hand-held cameras were used to film the scenes. But on the other hand, I hated the way there were too many close-up shots instead of wide angle (barring the spacecraft scenes).

Acting: There are two people that stood out for me: Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy. Ryan Gosling has come a far way and has shown he can do variety of roles. As Neil Armstrong, he nailed it. It’s for the first time I am seeing Claire Foy in something and I was gobsmacked. Be it emotional or happiness, she just plays the role with ease. Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler and Corey Stroll provide good support.

Favorite Scene: It would be the scene where Janet confronts Neil just before he is about to leave for Apollo 11. I would not like to spoil much but the scene was full of emotions and I was just fully into the scene. I literally had goosebumps watching the scene.

Verdict: It is quite sad that a beautiful film like this is not doing well in the box office for some very stupid reasons. I felt the film was great and left the cinema happy and satisfied. I look forward to see what Damien has more to offer us.

I am going with a 9/10.