An Achievement That Is Beyond Chazelle's Years

Rating: 8/10 (2 November 2018)

Little is known of astronaut Neil Armstrong's personal life. He was a very introverted person whom we almost could assume suffered from Asperger's. A quiet savant who probably wasn't that much fun at parties. This is why the accomplishment of his life far outweighs the ending that we've all seen. The first man to ever step on the moon. Conspiratorial nutjobs out there claim it never happened, so be it. The other nutjobs think that not including the planting of the flag was a deal breaker. Guess what? The flag is on the moon in the film as is MANY instances where American flags are flown around. Universal wasn't going to allow patriotism to not go unnoticed from one of the most patriotic men in America.
That said, the true accomplishment is to make someone so milquetoast into someone who is ridiculously interesting. A lot of inner turmoil exists on Ryan Gosling's face, which has now been a running gag for a lot of critics. He never emotes. And you get that here too. But, it makes sense for him as Armstrong as you can tell, he wasn't an emotional person. Much has also been seen of Armstrong as an arms length guy which belies his accomplishments. It may be that "The Right Stuff" was the quintessential astronauts movie, this is the ultimate astronaut film.
I HIGHLY recommend this film, in that it puts you into the seat of these guys who are about to have the equivalent of an atom bomb explode underneath them. EVERYTHING about this film drives the essence of the time and the claustrophobia one feels inside. Tight quarters where you hear every creak and groan of a metal beast thrusting into the sky. It is a visceral experience that you feel more than you can comprehend. Without being a simulator, I suspect this is pretty accurate. The turmoil that Armstrong does feel at the loss of his daughter...you sense it. And there are many moments when you feel it really hit the inside of your heart. A man who tries desperately to feel so little feels so much. An awesome achievement from someone so young as director Damien Chazelle. He is in the same league as Spielberg or Abrams.