First Man
Synopsis: A Biopic on the life of the legendary American Astronaut Neil Armstrong from 1961-1969, on his journey to becoming the first human to walk the moon. Exploring the sacrifices and costs on the Nation and Neil himself, during one of the most dangerous missions in the history of space travel.
Movie Review:
“First Man” is directed by Oscar winning director, Damien Chazelle and follows the life of legendary American Astronaut, Neil Armstrong from 1961-1969. I have to tell you Damien Chazelle is 3 for 3 and this is one of my favorite movies that came out this year. Ryan Gosling, who stars and plays Neil Armstrong, gives a powerful performance as he brings such an emotional core to this character. He portrays the stress that he was under trying to get to the moon, along with the tragedy with his family, and Ryan Gosling captured it perfectly. Another standout performance was Claire Foy who played Neil’s wife Janet. Foy has such a presence on screen and was equally as emotional. The supporting cast of Kyle Chandler and Jason Clark really shine in this movie, but Cory Stole who plays Buzz Aldrin steals the movie with his sarcasm and humor. Once again, director Damien Chazelle is the real genius behind this film. The direction, acting and visuals were all outstanding, especially the scene when the Apollo 11 crew travels to the moon; it was well worth the wait in terms of visual effects. When Neil stepped on the moon for the first time and he says that iconic quote “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” the audience felt like they were right there with him—it was epic. The only minor issue that I had with the movie was the pacing and it is a little too long. "First Man" is a film about sacrifice, humanity and hope with outstanding directing and talented actors. I highly recommend this entertaining movie for everyone. I am giving "First Man" a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clark, Pablo Schreiber, Cory Stole, Ciarán Hinds,Shea Whigham and Lukas Haas
Runtime: 141 minutes