A well acted film with a unique perspective

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2018)

So I saw The First Man at the theater. I had mixed feelings initially about seeing this movie. I love Ryan Gosling, but I've been very torn with the director Damien Chazelle. Overall the movie was about what I expected. A well acted film with an interesting story, but with a few glaring issues that made it ultimately forgettable.
The story of course covers the Apollo landing and Neil Armstrongs first steps on the moon. Instead of focusing on the actual moon landing though the movie shows the slow build up to the launch and human tole that was lost. The film also goes deeply into the emotional conflicts felt by Neil Armstrong and his family.
The best aspect of the film was easily the film's presentation of the many failures and losses that led to the Apollo landing. You really got a feel for just how difficult it was for the early astronauts and their families. This is not the kind of film that defies these men, but really paints them as human beings pushed to the limit to achieve their goals.
I also enjoyed seeing the backstory of Neil Armstrong that really paints him as a tragic hero. The movie did a good job capturing the emotional trauma he had to endure, but also showed just how his trauma impacted his relationship with his family.
Acting wise the movie was outstanding. Ryan Gosling perfectly embodied the stoic and withdrawn Neil Armstrong. He really brought the character to life and made him a relatable figure. The film is also filled with a wide supporting cast of actors who all do a good job with the material.
Now as far as the criticism of the film I was very underwhelmed with the actual scenes involving space. I kept comparing the movie to Apollo 13 and felt it really could not hold a candle to that movie. The film was also overly long and could have benefited from cutting out a few unnecessary subplots. While the director seemed to intentionally limit the scope and grandeur of the movie, it really took away from the overall impact of the movie. I was almost bored with the anticlimactic voyage to the moon. At times it seemed the film also wanted to throw elements of social commentary into the story, but this really only slowed down the plots advance.
The First Man was far from a bad movie. It was exceptionally well acted and told a unique perspective on a iconic part of American history. Unfortunately the movie had some pacing issues and a few too many subplots. I can't help but think in the hands of a more experienced director this could have been one of the best films of the year. A 8 out of 10.