Definitely not Apollo 13

Rating: 8/10 (12 October 2018)

If you're looking for the patriotic, beat the Russians to the moon type of thriller, this is not your movie. This movie is a biopic that is solely focused on Neil Armstrong. Unlike the mostly upbeat tone of Apollo 13 that focuses heavily on the one mission and many technical aspects, First Man is all about Neil Armstrong. The moon is merely a backdrop for the story of one of America's most reluctant hero's.
The film explores the parallels between NASAs struggle to get to the moon and Armstrong's struggles to deal with his depression after the losses of his daughter, friends and fellow astronauts. The US was asking a lot of Armstrong while he was dealing with unspeakable tragedy in a world where he could never speak about his feelings. This makes for a compelling story of Armstrong, but not so much the Space Race.
I truly enjoyed this movie. The scoring and acting could have been better, but the cinematography was fantastic. The characters around Armstrong helped drive the story, but there is no doubt he was the main focus. I was caught off guard by the fact that there was very little focus of Collins and Aldrin. There was also no mention of the Mercury program, or even Apollo 8.
Some people were upset about the lack of patriotism on the moon, but it clearly didn't relate to the scene. Neil's time on the moon is depicted as a moment of clarity for himself and his family. He had time to reflect on his late daughter, and just like that, he was heading back to earth.
This was a great movie, even though it's not exactly what I was expecting. If I see it again, it will be on IMAX.