Good, reasonably accurate historical biopic

Rating: 8/10 (3 December 2019)

NASA plans to put a man on the moon by 1970 and Neil Armstrong ends up being mission commander and first man to stand on another celestial body. Well written and directed, the film manages to maintain a degree of tension despite the fact that there would be few people in the world who don't know how the story ends. Ryan Gosling is good as a steady, no-nonsense Armstrong and the fly-boy theatrics are kept at a minimum (in contrast to "The Right Stuff' (1983) for example). The special effects are outstanding and the film avoids Hollywood's usual distain for the facts when fiction would be more entertaining. I was surprised at how much I had forgotten about the 'space race' that I grew up during, so despite knowing the final outcome, I found the film educational (in a good way) as well as entertaining and nostalgic.