First Man (2018)

I never believed the conspiracy theories on fake Moon landing, but after "First Man" I'm almost starting to have doubts on that :) I'm mean, I know...

I'm not really into biopics, the one here being dedicated to Neil Armstrong, but I have to admit it's interesting as a documentary. Although it puts a bit too much weight on problems, and too less on solutions. That's the reason for what I was saying above. Considering the density of mishaps, with or without lucky ending, starting with the first scene, you might almost believe that what you've seen in "The Martian" might have more chances to succeed than the first Moon landing. If we add to that a consistent part of the movie that's centered on the dramas in Armstrong's private life, a lost child, colleagues frequently dying in accidents... Although, somehow, strangely enough this might explain the successful career at NASA = 1) you escape in your work, 2) karma compensates there.

I don't know how was Armstrong as a person, but Ryan Gosling offers a sort of "driver" in space here = maybe a bit too dry/bland. If I should pick somebody for the acting here, it would probably be Claire Foy as the wife. Moving to the technicalities, the camera work varies from excellent framing (pretty much everything that's about flights in outer space) to poorly shot scenes. Maybe it's a matter of taste, but I'll never understand a mix of close-ups and kinetic camera which I think it's excessive in "First Man" (steadicam was invented for a reason... ironically not far from the timeline of the movie). Leaving all these aside, "First Man" is not as boring as some reviews say, but it's neither "A Beautiful Mind", meaning that you shouldn't expect something very engaging. It's ok, the message of make the impossible possible is there but it's quiet, so I'd say the movie has actually some calming potential if your days are too stressful...

Rating: 3.5 out of 5