In
keeping with the realism of space epics like The Right Stuff , Apollo 13,
and even Hidden Figures, First Man is director Damien Chazelle’s
(La La Land) vivid recreation of the
events leading to man’s first moon landing nearly fifty years ago and the man who led the mission amid personal
challenges and sacrifice.
In
1961, Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) is a loving family man and engineer with a
knack for solving problems as he rises from test pilot to Project Gemini, a
prelude to the Apollo Program which will place a man on the moon and win the
space race against the Soviets. His wife,
Janet (Claire Foy), and their children live with the risks and danger that plague the space program, and when
tragedy strikes home, the human and emotional loss will have a profound effect
on him even as all eyes are focused on man’s first moon mission.
Gosling
does an admirable job as Armstrong, who was part public figure and enigma, and
Foy is effective as his supportive wife who will not sit on the sidelines. It
is interesting how he reacts to his personal grief and how his soft spoken
persona contrasted with more vocal astronauts like Buzz Aldrin.
Space
aficionados will love the recreations of key space missions. It’s a technical achievement with imaginative
camerawork and realistic, visual and
sound effects to simulate the astronauts’ point of view. What is fascinating are the behind-the-scenes
mechanical problems and close calls not widely known in news headlines.
A
more cerebral kind of movie, it’s an
intimate journey of a true American hero which culminates in not only a
historic moment for all time, but ends with a memorable shot that shows where
its heart lies.
***1/2*
of **** stars
No comments:
Post a Comment