The movie the First Man deserves.

Rating: 10/10 (15 October 2018)

Having attended the Spacefest panel, watched the interviews on TV and online l and speaking with friends who were involved, I was prepared to enjoy this movie. I had done my research and was confident I knew what to expect. Not quite.
I LOVED THIS MOVIE!
This was NOT a movie about space exploration or Apollo 11.
Let me say this again.
This was NOT a movie about Apollo 11 or the early space program.
This was a movie about how the people who participated in that era dealt with the danger, dealt with the pressure of doing your job so well that you wouldn't die. The viewer was transported back in time to the 1960's. It felt very familiar.
The movie is based upon the ONLY authorized biography of Neil Armstrong by James R. Hansen published 13 years ago. Jim Hansen earned the trust of Armstrong and was granted access to friends and family and hours upon hours of interviews with the First Man himself. Lesser books were published around that same time and will be remembered only for trying to latch onto Hansen's coattails. Other than that they will be forgotten.
Damien Chazelle earned the trust of Armstrong's family and took great care to get every detail as accurate as possible. It showed. Ever since he walked in the Moon people have tried to get to know Armstrong, to understand what made him "tick." This movie is the last best chance to do that.
It presents a brief period of time between 1961 when he worked as a NASA test pilot in the X-15 program through Project Gemini to Apollo 11 in 1969. Chazelle shot the movie in both 16mm and 70mm IMAX for the appropriate scenes.
Joe Engle, the last surviving X-15 astronaut was consulted to make sure the scenes were authentic. Al Worden consulted to ensure the same attention to detail about Apollo. Thank you to both men.
One small spoiler: Tranquility Base is breathtaking!
After the Venice Film Festival screening a controversy erupted because the film omitted the scene of planting the American Flag on the Moon. The filmmakers were accused of advancing some kind of left-wing revisionist history. This is utter BS!
None of the 2 hour moonwalk is depicted as we remember watching it on television. No setting up of the science experiments, no phone call from Nixon. But the Stars and Stripes are shown in all their glory on the lunar surface. Anyone leaving the theater thinking this was an unpatriotic movie was not paying attention.
But what was shown at the end of the moonwalk is more poignant, more beautiful. The only thing is we are left wondering is if it really happened because it is a private expression from a private man that was never publicized. It is so beautiful you are left hoping it did happen.
I did enjoy looking for friends that were in the film. My favorite cameo was that of artist Chris Calle portraying his father Paul Calle who was present the morning of launch. He even used his Dads sketch pad. I hope Chris releases a book: "Art from First Man." I also very much enjoyed seeing the work of Ryan Nagata who recreated the X-15 pressure suit, the "Snoopy" caps and so on. Amazing work.
Honestly my only criticism of the movie is a selfish one. It's just over two hours long but is paced well. I was left wanting more. But again, this isn't a movie about the space program.
Before he died Gene Cernan authorized a wonderful documentary, "The Last Man on the Moon." I called it a thank you gift to the American people. "First Man" is a last gift from Neil Armstrong. Like Cernan he lets us peek behind the curtain created by NASA and LIFE Magazine. On their terms we get the real story answering the often asked question, "what was it like?"
I expect this film to win numerous awards next spring. I hope Chazelle releases a Directors Cut BluRay with a lot more footage. I'll buy it the day it's released.