First Man (2018)

[baumer]

Discuss

[ainsleyb]

It's good, a solid biopic that benefits from good acting and some pretty great direction. The score as expected is also very good.

 

Despite it using Neil's family life to drive the story forward it lacked a bit of heart for me. Neil is such an understated and quiet individual that hes actually quite hard to connect with. He comes off as having an admirable perseverance to his work that leaves his family neglected. 

 

Acting wise i don't see any wins at the oscars, I would not be surprised at all if Gosling isn't nominated because his performance doesn't have any big flashy scene. Foy has more to do dramatically and probably gets in Supporting, even though she has enough screen time to be lead. Picture and Director noms should be locked.

 

It's my least favourite of Chazelle's films and I'd rank it under biopics like Captain Phillips but it is still an interesting, if not wildly entertaining, look at an amazing advancement for our species. 

 

7/10

Edited October 12, 2018 by ainsleyb

[GeneralKong]

Eh. It's fantastic from a technical standpoint and excellently acted, but it somehow manages to feel both overlong and underdeveloped.

 

6/10 

[filmlover]

Not quite up there with classics like Apollo 13, but it's definitely very good and not nearly as conventional as it would've been had a number of other directors made this. I was happy that I saw this in real IMAX because the moon landing is beautiful in the format. Damien Chazelle confirms here that he knows how to deliver unforgettable imagery. As an examination of Neil Armstrong, I thought this wasn't nearly as successful as it is when it's exploring one of the earliest and most remarkable achievements in the space program. Ryan Gosling doesn't stretch his already considerable talents in the role, but this is yet another terrific performance from him nonetheless (he continues to prove that there isn't another actor in the business as good at saying so much without saying any dialogue at all as he is). A solid cast full of "that guy" actors lend good support, but the only other person in the film who isn't completely in Gosling's shadow is Claire Foy, who gives the role of Armstrong's wife more depth than what is in the script. While it sags at times, it's an effective change of pace for Chazelle that shows he has a nice future in more "traditional" character-based dramas if he chooses to follow that career path. B+

Edited October 14, 2018 by filmlover

[CoolioD1]

this was pretty decent. every flight sequence is fantastic best of the year material and that first shot of the moon in IMAX is like whoa. but the personal stuff never really connects. ending the movie with him re-uniting w/ his wife was a total dud for me because i just never felt that relationship. 

[Ezen Baklattan]

Pretty much agree with Coolio. For all the build up his wife has (Foy even gettin second billing in the trailer) she gets a pretty thankless role.

[ddddeeee]

Thought this was pretty wonderful.

 

That landing cue was absolutely incredible.

[Fancyarcher]

My review.

 

https://dailyuv.com/968792

[tonytr87]

That flag controversy was...stupid. And the movie was great.

 

https://italianimposter.com/2018/10/15/first-man/

[WrathOfHan]

Fucking phenomenal. I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did after some of the more meh reactions, but those space sequences were brilliant. Even the stuff on earth was getting tears in my eyes. This might be better than La La Land (though LLL has also kind of slipped in my mind). 9.5/10 | A

[aabattery]

On 10/15/2018 at 10:13 AM, ddddeeee said:

That landing cue was absolutely incredible.

 

I've basically had it on loop since I left the theatre

 

Good stuff.

[filmlover]

7 hours ago, aabattery said:

 

I've basically had it on loop since I left the theatre

 

Good stuff.

I listened to some of Justin Hurwitz's score again yesterday and it will be a shame if it misses a nomination. Not as enchanting as his La La Land score, but definitely some very memorable tracks in there.

[aabattery]

5 hours ago, filmlover said:

I listened to some of Justin Hurwitz's score again yesterday and it will be a shame if it misses a nomination. Not as enchanting as his La La Land score, but definitely some very memorable tracks in there.

 

I'd say it's far more impressive than his LLL score.

[The Stingray]

Fantastic! The flight scenes were out of this world. The moon landing gave me goosebumps. That music!

 

[Kalo]

Seeing as this was one of my most anticipated films of the year, I was really disappointed, I didn't like the way it was filmed, I know they were going for authenticity but it was what they used in the 60s to film with, it wasn't how the world looked in the 60s. 

 

I felt like it was trying to do a in depth character study on Neil Armstrong, and it just came across as kind of hallow imo, and from the viewpoint of the film Neil came across as kind of distant and cold. and this movie felt really long. 

 

It had good performances, Clarie Foy probably being the standout, and still some pretty great shock and awe scenes, and it was mostly technically well made. but Yeah I give it a B-.

[4815162342]

On 10/14/2018 at 12:52 PM, CoolioD1 said:

this was pretty decent. every flight sequence is fantastic best of the year material and that first shot of the moon in IMAX is like whoa. but the personal stuff never really connects. ending the movie with him re-uniting w/ his wife was a total dud for me because i just never felt that relationship. 

 

That final scene also rings a bit hollow in terms of emotional weight given that they divorced 20-odd years later with his emotional distance cited by her as a primary factor.

 

Film: See, they're reconnecting and everything between them will end happily ever after

 

Ron Howard Narration: It didn't.

Edited October 31, 2018 by 4815162342

[aabattery]

3 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

 

That final scene also rings a bit hollow in terms of emotional weight given that they divorced 20-odd years later with his emotional distance cited by her as a primary factor.

 

Film: See, they're reconnecting and everything between them will end happily ever after

  

Ron Howard Narration: It didn't. 

 

I dunno. I didn't read the ending as a total reconciliation between them. They still had that distance between them, both literally (cause of the glass) and figuratively.

[4815162342]

12 hours ago, aabattery said:

 

I dunno. I didn't read the ending as a total reconciliation between them. They still had that distance between them, both literally (cause of the glass) and figuratively.

 

It seemed framed to me as them overcoming the divide, which felt a bit hollow.

[IndustriousAngel]

7/10, B+

[Maxmoser3]

Visually great! Movie good but not spectular like The Martian and such. More of a character piece than anything. 

Grade: B