Well-Intentioned but Generic Recreation of a Great Event in History

Rating: 6/10 (12 October 2018)

Being a fan of Damien Chazelle's other films as well as of Ryan Gosling's acting, I was excited to see their interpretation of Neil Armstrong's famous moon landing, an event which has served as an inspiring symbol of the greatness that mankind can aspire to be. In a time when franchise movies and blockbusters dominate the marquee at mainstream multiplexes, it's refreshing to see good old-fashioned adult dramas in wide release like this and "A Star Is Born" (even though, of course, I do enjoy some blockbusters.) While the film has some good cinematography and a commendable lead performance by Gosling, the film feels dry and rather generic.
I understand and respect what Chazelle was trying to do here, and I acknowledge that the moon landing has been depicted enough times in popular art that it can be difficult to depict it one more time and still feel uniquely authentic, but the film unfortunately does have some serious flaws. The film's pacing is rather strange, as much of the middle section of the film feels melodramatic in a way that is directly at odds with its rousing opening scene and climax. Gosling's performance is poignant and thoughtful in its inner simplicity, but unfortunately Claire Foy is not given too much to do here as Janet Armstrong. (Too bad, because she certainly has acting talent.) Additionally, the film's juxtaposition of scenes is rather unusual. Before the moon landing finale, the film jumps from moment to moment dealing with Armstrong's life, yet not all of it adds up. These depictions generally miss the mark in terms of making you further care about Armstrong moreso than what you see in the space scenes. I liked that Chazelle shot some of the space scenes in the cockpit to allow the viewer to engage in the intensity of the experience, but the cinematography sometimes felt off during these moments. Perhaps it could have been even more effective and immersive to film some of the space scenes in first-person from Armstrong's perspective. With their old-fashioned aesthetic and simple dialogue, many of these scenes feel like Chazelle is playing it far too "safe" here. It's commendable that he wanted to show respect to Armstrong and his family, but he's a seasoned auteur who could definitely have created a thoroughly respectful portrait of Neil Armstrong while taking a bit more artistic risk.
All in all, I didn't dislike "First Man" by any means, but I wasn't too enthused about it either. 6/10
Note: I saw this movie in IMAX. The opening scene and moon landing scene were both very good in IMAX, but the rest of the movie (which adds up to a little under two hours) barely uses the format at all to enhance the viewing experience, even slightly.