IMDb closed its boards, but Gosling's on the moon.

Rating: 7/10 (20 October 2018)

Alternate review title: It's a good thing Neil Armstrong happened to land on the moon, otherwise a biopic about him would apparently be really, really boring.
Motivated by its theatrical trailer (and some of the positive reviews here on IMDb), I saw First Man the weekend it opened, and I enjoyed it overall. Until I went back and read some of the more negative reviews and realized I agreed with those too!
Where to start? Well, first things first. This movie is nowhere near as entertaining or uplifting (or even informative) as either The Right Stuff or Apollo 13.
On the other hand, First Man does a serviceable job of filling the gap between those two films, neither one of which addresses the zenith (so far) of the space program, which was of course the first moon landing. So, an inferior movie about a superior topic can still be emotionally powerful and thought-provoking.
The moon landing sequence is very well done, as is the opening sequence featuring Neil's foray into the stratosphere. In between, there are a lot of unnecessarily shaky home-movie-style family micro-dramas of slight interest (except for one very touching story arc that links the opening and closing of the film).
Apart from the segment on the Gemini program (I not only learned its purpose but also its correct pronunciation: GEM-ih-nee, not GEM-ih-nye!), First Man gives very short shrift to the space program and the other astronauts. It even goes so far as to make Buzz Aldrin seem like a jerk. At least Monty Python respected Buzz.
That's why you have to keep reminding yourself - apparently this is a movie primarily about Neil Armstrong and his familial relationships (or lack thereof); it is not a movie about the moon landing.
The trouble is, if Ryan Gosling's performance is accurate, then Neil is a rather introverted, stoic, and emotionally detached person.
As for the in-capsule sequences, we get it Mr. Chazelle - it was claustrophic, loud, and shaky, with poor visibility. But some of the blastoff scenes felt as if we were getting a first-person view not from the mission commander through his space helmet, but from a passenger looking through the viewfinder of a first-generation Sony HandyCam. Was it really that bad? If so, then kudos for the realism, I guess...
OK, what about the flag flap? You know, the manufactured outrage about the lack of a scene showing the planting of the United States flag on the moon.
Although the U.S. flag was barely shown at all on the moon (i.e., the complainers are technically correct), this flap still seems like much ado about nothing, for several reasons:
1. As noted, many aspects of the space program were rushed or completely ignored in this movie, so what's one more?
2. There were numerous other scenes in the film clearly intended to evoke pro-U.S., patriotic feelings - many of them featuring the U.S. flag. These worked on me, and if they were added in post-production due to the controversy, then I guess it was useful after all. There is also a social commentary scene (alluded to by my review title), apparently included as a reasonable counterpoint to all the space-hype.
3. It's not too surprising that a U.S. flag planting would be cut/omitted to increase the international appeal of this film. After all, the only thing more distinctly American than the right to disrespect the flag is the right to maximize one's profit.
4. Last, and most importantly, the movie was about Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon and - with one major dramatic exception - not at all about what he did after he got there. That dramatic exception is a powerful scene (no spoiler) that kind of makes the whole movie, especially since the focus is on Neil's relationship with his family.
Focusing on anything else that Armstrong did on the moon - even planting the flag - would have completely robbed that scene of its emotional impact. I hope this scene depicts an actual event; if added only for dramatic effect, it would ruin my impression of the film and filmmaker.
All in all, First Man is a decent, if flawed, film with some unforgettable scenes that are a bit too few and far between. It doesn't really seem Oscar-worthy, except maybe for the score, which was especially powerful during the touchdown on the moon. It's definitely worth a view at the theater, but probably not worth an IMAX upcharge.