Disclaimer: The views expressed here are mine alone and do not represent those of allgames.com.
Introduction to the First Man Movie Review by Ms. H
Right off the bat I’m going to discuss the controversy regarding the American flag and the First Man movie. As you may know, there were complaints about the American flag not being planted on the moon. Just to clarify, the flag does appear on the moon in the First Man movie; however, the argument is the scene does not show the flag actually being planted on the moon by astronaut Neil Armstrong.
My opinion is since the First Man movie is being depicted as a true biopic story, then of course the movie should show a scene where the U.S. flag is being planted on the moon. That being said, I was glad the movie stayed true to form by sharing with the audience some of Neil Armstrong’s famous words such as -- “The eagle has wings; The eagle has landed and of course one of his most famous quotes, “That’s one small step for man, one great leap for mankind.”
Storyline of the First Man Movie
It is probably apparent from the title that this movie is about Neil Armstrong and his historic walk on the moon. The storyline was easy to follow and to me, it was interesting to learn about some of the challenges and problems that occurred before his walk on the moon.
Acting Skills Displayed in the First Man Movie
I think Ryan Gosling did an adequate job playing the part of Neil Armstrong -- even though I believe he may be typecast in movies that show extreme closeups -- similar to one of the first movies he starred in -- The Driver. At first, I was going to criticize how Claire Foy played the part of Neil Armstrong’s wife. However, after doing some research on Neil Armstrong’s life, including his marriages, I believe she did an adequate job of playing his wife in this movie.
Cinematography of the First Man Movie
Prior to seeing the movie First Man, I found out Ryan Gosling’s reason for the flag planting did not appear in the movie; however, I have issues with his explanation. His reason was something to the effect that other countries were involved in making the walk on the moon possible. As I alluded to earlier, I believe the movie should have show the flag planted on the moon -- since this is what actually happened in real life.
I also found out the director was attempting to shoot the movie in such a way that the audience would feel as if they actually experienced space travels -- along with the astronauts. I think he succeeded in doing this; however, I would caution him not to use too many movie frames showing jerky camera shots which at first may give you a sense of how erratic and traumatic it was to travel in space -- but after awhile, these motions became boring and repetitious.
If you see this movie, I think you will agree one of the highlights of the First Man movie is when the surface of the moon is actually shown from the viewpoint of Neil Armstrong. For dramatic effect, the moon’s surface is shown in a single frame with a backdrop of the dark sky. I especially enjoyed seeing the earth as shown from the moon. By the way, I watched the First Man movie at an RPX movie theatre complete with a huge screen, so the vision of the moon's surface to me was even more impressive.
Assessment of the First Man Movie
I watched the First Man movie, among other reasons, to find out if there was information that may have been shielded that is now out in the open. Personally, I think the movie did an adequate job of showcasing that this mission was not a bed of roses and there were some problems that were met and ultimately solved along the way. I applaud the movie for staying for the most part true to what actually happened during this period of time (notwithstanding the flag not being planted) -- as well as recognizing the U.S. for putting a man on the moon.
On the other hand, I was not aware of some of the negativity from the people during this particular time regarding the mission. I especially did not like one of the songs that was played when people were protesting the money being spent on space travel.
Spoiler alert: Regarding the ending, I think it would have been a high point of the movie if the First Man movie concluded with his children running out to meet him after his successful space flight -- of course -- after his quarantine was over. This would have balanced out the scene where he explained to his children how he was traveling to the moon as well the probability of him returning.
Rating of the First Man Movie
Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars, with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the First Man movie 5 stars.