Beautifully shot and acted

Rating: 10/10 (14 October 2018)

To be propelled into outer space on top of a 30 floor tall rocket, controlled by a computer with a tiny fraction of the power of my first smart phone takes real courage and skill. First Man shows the true magnitude of the challenges faced by NASA: pressure to catch up with the Russians, the difficulty of testing new concepts in a realistic scenario, the deaths of some of its best people, the hardship endured by the astronauts' families, opposition in government and in some of the population at large. The movie portrays Neil Armstrong as a true hero - well educated, highly professional and highly focused on his job - the strong silent type.
First Man clearly portrays the moon landing as a great American accomplishment, one that has brought cheers and admiration for the USA from hundreds of millions. The U-N-I-T-E-D S-T-A-T-E-S letters on the Saturn V cross slowly across the full screen as Apollo 11 lifts off. We see Armstrong's first step on the moon, and the American flag close to the base. As a Canadian, I am at a loss about the movie's critics - Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. No longer debating the relative size of their penises, they now have some common ground in their latest intellectual endeavor - criticizing a movie they have not seen for reasons they don't understand. They represent the clear antithesis to the strong silent type.
The movie is beautifully shot and acted. Many of the scenes are breathtaking. The portrayal of the sixties is perfect. I enjoyed it thoroughly and strongly recommend it.