First Man (2018)
Genre
:
History | Drama Rating
:
7.1 / 10
Release Date
:
11 October 2018 Resolution
:
1920x1080
Duration
:
2 : 21 minutes
Spoken Language
:
English Status
:
Released Overview
:
A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
Cast Overview :
Neil Armstrong
by: Ryan Gosling
Janet Shearon
by: Claire Foy
Ed White
by: Jason Clarke
Deke Slayton
by: Kyle Chandler
Buzz Aldrin
by: Corey Stoll
Elliot See
by: Patrick Fugit
David Scott
by: Christopher Abbott
Robert R. Gilruth
by: Ciarán Hinds
Patricia White
by: Olivia Hamilton
Jim Lovell
by: Pablo Schreiber
Gus Grissom
by: Shea Whigham
Michael Collins
by: Lukas Haas
Pete Conrad
by: Ethan Embry
Joseph A. Walker
by: Brian d'Arcy James
Roger B. Chaffee
by: Cory Michael Smith
Marilyn See
by: Kris Swanberg
Young Rick Armstrong
by: Gavin Warren
Older Rick Armstrong
by: Luke Winters
Mark Armstrong
by: Connor Blodgett
Karen Armstrong
by: Lucy Stafford
Christopher C. Kraft Jr.
by: J.D. Evermore
Gil-Scott Heron
by: Leon Bridges
Guenter Wendt
by: Steve Coulter
Richard F. Gordon Jr.
by: Skyler Bible
Gordon Cooper
by: William Gregory Lee
John Young
by: Choppy Guillotte
Young Ed White Jr.
by: Braydyn Nash Helms
Older Ed White Jr.
by: Edmund Grant
Young Bonnie White
by: Callie Brown
Older Bonnie White
by: Claire Smith
Butch Butchart
by: Brady Smith
John Glenn
by: John David Whalen
Chuck Yeager
by: Matthew Glave
X-15 Flight Surgeon
by: Rodney J. Hobbs
George Mueller
by: Kermit Rolison
Jim Fucci
by: Willie Repoley
John Hodge
by: Ben Owen
David Hammock
by: Jim Stearns
Pastor
by: James H. Williams
Donald Babbit
by: William G. Tomek
Louise Sheron
by: Helen S. Jackson
Syringe Tech
by: Ambrit Millhouse
Paul Haney
by: Mark Armstrong
MSC Entrance Guard
by: Kevin Buttimer
Ralph Morse
by: Dustin Lewis
Joe Schmitt
by: Robert Hatch
White House Staffer
by: Anna Chazelle
White House Staffer
by: Tyner Rushing
White House Attendant
by: Myra Brown
White House Attendee
by: Ronald Hicks
White House Attendee
by: Lawrence Jonasson
White House Attendee
by: Irina Labouz
Jim
by: Anthony Paolucci
Reporter
by: Philip Boyd
Kelsey
by: Stephanie Turner
ABC Reporter
by: Timothy Batten
Agence France Reporter
by: Aurelien Gaya
Houston Post Reporter
by: Todd Truley
Reporter - Apollo 11
by: Mark Kelly
Reporter - Apollo 11
by: Tim Olcott
Hamburg Press
by: Andrea Maria Hintermaier
Times Reporter
by: Jamie Anne Allman
Senator
by: Charles Carroll
Fire Inspector
by: Brian Mahoney
Protestor
by: Donald Watkins
Diner Patron
by: Tess Oakland
Bill Moon
by: Michael Lee Kimel
Bill Anders
by: Ryan Clay Forbes
MC Engineer
by: Joshua Powell
MC Engineer
by: Thomas Clay Strickland
Assistant Flight Director
by: Brad Kitchen
Flight Activities Director
by: Tim Harper
Booster Flight Controller
by: Andrew Armstrong
CSQ Agena Systems
by: Kevin Johnson
CSQ Gemini Systems
by: Damian Lovello
NASA PAO
by: Nelson Bonilla
Wally Schirra (uncredited)
by: Shawn Eric Jones
Ken Mattingly
by: Andrew Stahl
MCC Fido
by: Mark Kirkman
MCC Retro
by: Brian David McCay
MCC GNC
by: Mark Schlichting
MCC EECOM
by: Mark Yurgil
MCC Guidance
by: Andrew Buckman
MCC Network
by: Christopher Sgubin
Charles Berry (uncredited)
by: Greg Puckett
Robert Lawrence (uncredited)
by: Perry Zulu Jr.
Fred Haise (uncredited)
by: Kent Wagner
Carolyn See (uncredited)
by: Caroline Davis
Sally See (uncredited)
by: Katelyn Davis
Col. Frank Borman (uncredited)
by: George Linkenback
Member Reviews :
Damien Chazelle has already proven himself to be one of the freshest new directors of the decade so far. Even after delivering the hard-hitting Whiplash and the emotionally-wrecking and whimsical La La Land, he still knows how to surprise fans of his work, returning to the silver screen with grace. Combining every element of his previous outings that made him a household name, Chazelle makes sure the audience feels every ounce of power that he's thrown into his latest directorial effort. Oddly enough, it's his first foray into biopic territory, a zone where many revered filmmakers have failed to capture the reality of the moment they're attempting to bring to life.
Going in, you'll already know how the movie ends, which is the problem most directors encounter when making a biopic. Finding a way to transfer the actuality of the moment while still feeling original and never appearing boring is a hard task that very few have been able to truly accomplish. With First Man, Chazelle manages to land a spot on that list of directors, and for good reason. He keeps true to the true story with a film that's so intense and fully realized that you might forget that it actually happened.
Space movies have always been a highlight of cinema. From Georges Méliès' 1902 silent film A Trip to the Moon and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey to the Star Wars and Alien franchises, films taking place in the farthest reaches of the universe prove to be some of the most intriguing and original creations brought to viewers' eyes (even by today's standards). It's the true stories that really prove to be some of the most effective, however. Sure, fictional ones show us what could be possible; but it's the depictions of true events that show us what was possible, creating a harrowing story of patriotism in the process.
From a technical perspective, First Man is a marvel on all fronts. Linus Sandgren, the cinematographer who won an Academy Award for his work on La La Land, returns to collaborate with Chazelle and once again delivers a grand spectacle that should not be missed out on while in theaters. The cinematography is stunning. Hues of yellow and blue pop, lighting a path towards the characters and showing no sign of stopping once they've started. Certain scenes are given an extra boost from the home-video-style camerawork, beautifully grainy and shaky in all of the right ways.
Justin Hurwitz (Chazelle's roommate in college), another frequent collaborator, also returns to score the film and knocks it out of the park as expected. Hurwitz obviously knows how to write music, but its how his compositions fit in with the scenes and themes they're tied to that make them so worthwhile. Hurwitz invests you in the midst of all the chaos with all of the orchestral beauty surrounding his pieces. That's the thing about his scores, though: it's hard to objectively rank them because of how different they all are. Chazelle is a unique director because he never sticks to the same formula over an over again, and the same can be said for the accompanying music for each of them.
Acting is on point here; Ryan Gosling hits a huge emotional nerve with incredibly investing performance as Neil Armstrong. He keeps to himself (namely, his personal life) but is willing to risk it all for the mission. Nothing from Gosling is single-layered; everything is complex and detailed to the point that you might as well be in the room with him.
Claire Foy also delivers an amazing portrayal as Janet Armstrong, Neil's wife. Foy topples every housewife stereotype that embodied this specific time period, giving a strong, contained, and free-willed performance of a woman who is certainly not afraid to share her thoughts on issues concerning her husband.
The flag controversy is totally stupid. The moon landing scene doesn't need the image of Armstrong planting the flag on the moon to dish up a heavily emotional response from the audience. If you get a chance to screen it in IMAX, definitely do. The expanded aspect ratio only comes into play during this specific scene but it is utterly transfixing.
First Man is one of the best films of the year, no doubt about it. Every shot is perfection. Every sound is excellence. There is no comparison to what Damien Chazelle and co. have accomplished here; even iconic films like Apollo 13 can't live up to the new bar of quality Chazelle has set for the space drama subgenre. A harrowing journey from start-to-finish, and a true masterwork in many respects, First Man is one film that delivers upon its promise and then some. Performances and technicalities are perfect, but that's what Chazelle will continue to be known for: perfection.
A really encouraging film for a historic event. The music and silence are playing so well with each other. I am glad that the directors and actors did not waste a wonderful story. Though I always think the leading actor's appearance is significantly different from origin Neil, it does not affect the intense feelings.
