A Solid Moon Landing

Rating: 9/10 (24 October 2018)

GRADE: B+
THIS FILM IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: A bio-pic that is dazzling in its visuals but lacking in real emotional drama.
JIM'S REVIEW: Damien Chazelle's masterful yet emotionally inert film, First Man, tells the saga of Neil Armstrong and the Apollo space program. Technically, the film is so well crafted and detail driven, but the personal backstory of Armstrong's marriage and family life is never really given equal treatment. So the overall impact delivers more to be admired than exulted.
Ryan Gosling play this American hero as an introverted loner unable to express any remorse or compassion to those he loves. He hides his feelings and pent-up rage frequently like those stereotypical 60's men did to shield themselves from any direct interaction. This is a fine approach, and Mr. Gosling has his solitary moments to shine. The actor is more than up to the task of filling in the gaps in his character.
His wife, Janet, is very well played by Claire Foy but her character too is intense and aloof. With a literate screenplay by Josh Singer, both characters, as written, are so uptight and guarded that moviegoers are kept at an emotional distance. While one can relate to the stress and sadness in their marriage, their scenes together never mesh as effectively as they should.
Yet it is the sequences of outer space exploration that have a rare beauty that continually impress in their execution. The film achieves high marks with its talented artisans' contributions: Linus Sandgren's photography efficiently contrasts the claustrophobic space within the capsules with its hand-held camerawork and the panoramic vistas of outer space and the moon's terrain. Visually, the film has powerful imagery throughout that is reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's iconic 2001 and, more recently, Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity and its CGI artistry. The film editing by Tom Cross creates the tension and suspense with his many close-ups and kinetic fast cuts. Nathan Crowley's production design that has all of the period details and more. The music score by Justin Hurwitz is selective in its blending of quieter lyrical sounds with more bombastic fanfare. Kudos to all!
Mr. Chazelle's direction, especially in his lengthy re-enactment of the moon landing, is skillfully rendered. He has truly researched his subject of space exploration but seems more involved in depicting the historic aspects of the Apollo program and showing all of that visual splendor. In doing so, he sacrifices the smaller story of a common man whose dreams became a reality at a very high cost.
First Man celebrates our early space explorers and the risks they took to achieve greatness. This film never reaches that zenith, but it remains grandiose filmmaking that sets the bar high. Even if it doesn't shoot the moon, it comes very close.