Shaky close-ups galore.

Rating: 6/10 (21 December 2018)

I love good acting and correct recreations of historic moments. First Man contains both but you only get glimpses of it. Every dialogue gets cut up in to a jumble of arranged pieces. Half of the movie is fuzzy and unsteady close-ups of the back of someone's head. Just because you have shot every scene from 15 angles doesn't mean you should use all the 15 angles in a 5 word conversation. What's the point of using talented actors when you completely nullify their flow of portraid emotions. The only scenes when the camera work and editing feels correct is when it's conveying the dangers of exploration and pushing the envelope.
The mission is thankfully almost perfect. There's some run of the mill swoshing sci-fi sounds but there's also real silence and more restful editing. Non essential NASA chatter makes it feel real.
I know that I should judge the camera work and editing as an artistic necessity but I don't. I think the actors should be trusted with the job of acting instead of the one's doing the editing.