*Originally written October 16th, 2018*
I had really high hopes for Damien Chazelle's First Man. Whiplash and La La Land were some of my favourite films from the years they came out. There was high buzz, critical acclaim and Oscar talk for this, but when I saw it, I was sadly just pretty underwhelmed. It exceeds on a technical level, but a lot of the film is sadly just a bit of an overlong slog to get to.
I wanted to love this Neil Armstrong biopic, but I was just left cold, but I cannot deny some of the amazing craft that went into making it. With a title like First Man, it's pretty obvious what this is. A biopic leading up to Armstrong's successful mission to the Moon as he becomes the first man to set foot on it.
There's a ton of focus on Armstrong's relationship with his family. Opening with a heartbreaking event that the film just doesn't manage to come close to through its run-time. I have my problems with biopics, they often feel very Oscar baitey, especially the cradle to grave ones. Thankfully, this focuses on a very specific period in Armstrong's life, hitting all the things you'd want to see.
I was unsure about Gosling's performance as Armstrong at first. He plays it in that same way he did Drive, where he does long pauses and stares before answering a question he's asked. Making him seem possibly autistic. But once I was informed this is what Armstrong was really like, it made a lot of the scenes a lot better in reflection. A particular scene where he has to tell his kids he's leaving and the way he goes about telling them is a huge highlight. I'm gonna be very surprised if Gosling doesn't at least score a nomination for this.
Claire Foy also does an excellent job alongside Gosling as Armstrong's wife, who has to go through the emotional ringer as an astronauts wife, wondering if he'll ever come home and dealing with emotional distance he keeps while training for the history changing mission. Making her such a prominent focus in the story was a smart move and brought a lot more humanity to Gosling's stoic performance.
I'd mentioned the technical aspects of First Man, and once those moments in space and the training hit, they hit hard. Chazelle makes space seem so cold, empty and terrifying. It's helped by the use of amazing camera work that rarely leaves the from the viewpoint of the Astronauts, making the shuttle seem claustrophobic and scary, especially with the incredible sound design. I'd recommend seeing this on the biggest and loudest screen possible.
I'm sounding hugely positive towards First Man, but in all honesty, it is let down by some really poor pacing. This thing feels extremely dragged out, you feel every moment of the 140 minute run-time and I'm ashamed to say I did nod off for a brief few moments, which is probably my fault for going to see a film like this on very little sleep. But I just can't help but feel this could have been much tighter if they cut out a good 20-30 minutes of footage.
The buildup to the event itself is honestly worth the wait though. Once they get to the moon it really is some of the most spectacular sights cinema has had to offer in 2018. Everything felt genuine and real, this only could have felt more realistic if they actually went and filmed on the moon itself. It's even capped off with a scene of genuine emotion as Armstrong pays tribute to the opening event of the film that turned him the way he was.
First Man isn't the masterpiece I wanted it to be, it's too long and a little dry, but it more than makes up for this in the technical department and I'm sure it'll sweep up at the Oscars. It might be something I'll enjoy more on a rewatch, but for now I'm both a little disappointed and impressed. Can't wait to see what Chazelle and Gosling do next.
7/10 Dans
First Man is out now in cinemas in the UK, with a 4K UHD Steelbook available to pre-order from HMV
Watch the trailer below:
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