First Man

Released in 2018, First Man was a hit with critics but underperformed a bit at the box-office. Some of this was likely due to some buffoons who criticized the film for political reasons even though they hadn't even seen it but, that's not what this post is about...

First Man was directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, and Kyle Chandler. The film centers around Neil Armstrong (played by Gosling), the early years of NASA, and the events that eventually lead to the moon landing. While I usually try my best to go into a movie without any expectations, I did have high hopes for this one. As a kid I was fascinated by the space program, I think Ryan Gosling is a great actor, and I thought that both of Chazelle's previous films (Whiplash and La La Land) were home runs. First Man did not disappoint, I found it thoroughly enjoyable. That being said, it's not a movie that I would recommend to everyone. If you're looking for the next Apollo 13, where everyone always says the right thing or has a great speech and the movie makes you want to cheer by the end, this isn't it. It's much more focused on the sacrifices involved and risk to human life that came with attempting a feat that no man ever had. 

It's well directed, well acted, I found the story compelling and the musical scores is terrific. Overall, I think this is a really solid movie and I give it a 4 out of 5.