Good mainly for the domestic scenes

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2018)

Based on the book by James Hansen: the life of astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) is highlighted from 1961 - 1969 culminating in the famous landing on the moon in the Apollo 11 mission.
"First Man" succeeds in mixing Armstrong's well-known work-life with his family and social life. Its greatest credit can be given to its recall of the 1960s in look and feel. Much detail is placed in the sets including such forgotten objects as bean-bag ashtrays (during an era of rampant smoking) and the unique designs of hospital bracelets. Most importantly, the era is excellently re-captured in its portrayal of the widely accepted stoicism and emotional restraint despite occasional lapses of emotion that follow tragedies. As Armstrong's wife Janet, Claire Foy is superb in a scene of the night before the great mission.
The film would have been better if the aircraft scenes were at least as good as the family/friendship scenes. Many people are familiar with the saying "it's not rocket science". In "First Man", a lot of real rocket science talk tends to dumbfound the average viewer. Also, some aircraft scenes were too internal and stagnant to be exciting which is a disappointment as director Damien Chazelle did such brilliant work on "La La Land" a couple of years ago. The well-known climactic moment (no spoiler-alerts needed here) seemed less momentous than it ought to have been. But luckily, it ends in a beautiful moment that comes full circle from a major event earlier in the film.