Sublime

Rating: 8/10 (13 October 2018)

First man is a far cry from typical Hollywood movies from this genre. Gone is the epic soundtrack replaced by raw sounds and the silence of space. Gone is the long sexy shots, gone the superhero trappings. This movie takes you on a journey to the moon from the perspective of Neil Armstrong. In the decades since the first moon walk we have been bombarded by images that have been sewn into the fabric of pop culture. MTV logo's,cheap posters and screen savers with Neil Armstrong standing on the moon. These romanticised views hide the incredible bravery, ingenuity, sacrifice and sheer horror of getting a man to the moon. First man shows us how it was, the impact upon colleagues, families and friends. This movie avoids the America is great rhetoric and instead focuses on the real challenges. The script is a slow burner and it's pacing may not be to everyone's expectations, this is not Apollo 13. It's takes its time to tell the human story. Extremely well directed and acted by the leads and support cast. Ryan Gosling delivers a thoughtful and introverted performance whilst Claire Foy counters this with an awesome performance as Mrs Armstrong. Portraying her fear and pessimism throughout every phase as she deals with the day to day realities of the risk to life. Go see it.