Well made, assuredly handled biopic

Rating: 9/10 (13 January 2020)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
In the 1960s, NASA is preparing one of the most audacious exercises in the history of time, the first manned space mission to the moon, on the Apollo 11 spacecraft. Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), one of the candidates up for selection, is still recovering from a traumatic personal tragedy, but displays an aptitude and ability that sets him far apart from the other test pilots putting themselves forward. As he prepares to take the lead in an endeavour that will push the boundaries of what was thought possible further than ever before, he must contend with the inner dynamics of NASA, the social upheaval of the time and his own conflicts in his personal life.
I often wonder if the present generation would feel more inspired to aspire to greatness and really dedicate themselves to what was possible if some great, magnificent event were to occur that opened their eyes to what can be achieved with determination and dedication. Instead of pandering to be on the next vacuous reality TV show or going on some demonstration about largely perceived racism or climate crisis, something like the moon landing could motivate them, something that still stirs the pool of wonder today, with various people even claiming that they were faked.
The actual moon landing itself is fascinating enough, but Armstrong the man behind it is also has dynamic potential for the story , a studious and slightly nerdy man who developed the personality to command the mission to the moon. Gosling's physical resemblance to the man helps no end, and his performance is thankfully assured and convincing. Reuniting with La La Land director Damien Chazelle (making his second feature film), their respective roles within the production combine to produce something markedly different from their last outing.
In the end, it's just not exceptional enough to truly linger in the memory, but it's involving, well acted and examines a fascinating real life character/event that were two parts of one of the defining moments of our age. ****