Refreshingly real, deliberate take..

Rating: 7/10 (23 July 2019)

First Man is not a film that will endear itself to younger audiences. The film is slower-paced and centers more on the emotional toll of everything that led to the first small step for man.
I wanted to watch this film because i am a fan of the directors' previous work. I think this film sits on near the top shelf, below "Whiplash", but not an eye-sore by any means.
The film succeeds in some ways and fails in others. The film has a consistent, washed-out yet appropriate look for the time-period, and many(not all) of the visuals are spectacular. The music is solid(as to be expected from this director). The final 20-minutes is spine-tingling goodness. Each action sequence, while rare, is handled very well, and each of those moments is suspenseful and feels quite real. The aspect of creating danger and echoing that sentiment through the actions of the characters works here, but the film is far from perfect.
Some visuals are a bit hacked - like the final rocket launch, and perhaps a bit too much unnecessarily over-used handheld camera-work.
The film also fails to bring in emotion outside of the Armstrong household, and almost all the supporting characters feel like an oversight. To boot, the emotional weight of all of the Armstrong households' struggles, fail to hit the mark, perhaps due to a thin, under-written script. A private mans' home life seems as private and restrained as his media personality, and the film suffers because of it. It's not Gosling's fault, but realistic or not, when your lead character seemingly walks away speechless from every emotional moment, it doesn't help the impact nor the pacing of the film you're making. The ending suffers for it too.
Overall, its still a good film, with solid visuals and really tense action sequences, great music, and solid-yet-restrained performances. I won't say I won't watch it again, bit I won't watch it again anytime soon.
67/100
You'll like it you liked(Thirteen Days - a touch below this), The Right Stuff(a clear notch above this), Indian Runner(a small notch above this), and Apollo 13(a small notch above this).