Ryan Gosling takes one small step for man as he dons the spacesuit to star in a biopic of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.

Director: Damien Chazelle

Screenwriter: Josh Singer

Screenplay: http://www.universalpicturesawards.com/site-content/uploads/2018/10/FIRST-MAN-Screenplay.pdf

Based on: The non-fiction book, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, by James R. Hansen.

Synopsis:

*Spoilers* Mojave Desert, 1961. Neil Armstrong, a NASA test pilot, has a near-miss when flying the X-15 rocket plane. Distracted by his young daughter’s illness, Armstrong is later grounded.

After his daughter dies, Armstrong is hired to be an astronaut in Project Gemini, NASA’s second human spaceflight programme, a precursor to the Apollo missions. Armstrong moves his wife and son to Houston to begin training.

Over the next few years, the Gemini programme sees successes and failures, including the deaths of several of Armstrong’s fellow astronauts. Questions are raised about the cost (financial and human) of NASA’s programme, but the government is determined to beat Russia to the moon. Along the way, Armstrong’s second son is born but, still mourning his daughter, he becomes ever more distant from his family.

Eventually, Armstrong is named commander of Apollo 11, which successfully lands on the moon. On 21 July 1969, Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the lunar surface.

Analysis:

Damien Chazelle reteams with La La Land (2016) star Ryan Gosling for this interesting look at an important chapter in the history of spaceflight. Part boy’s own adventure and part domestic drama, First Man attempts to show us the man behind the moon walk, as Armstrong takes several small steps on his journey to immortality.

But is the result ‘out of this world’? The answer is…sort of.

On the space front, the film is superb. We are taken right into the heart of Project Gemini, from the arduous astronaut training programme through to early attempts to realise the ambitious plan to land men on the moon ahead of Russia.

Visually, the film is also a triumph. We feel the claustrophobia and fear of being inside the spacecraft, as well as the silent vastness of space and the euphoria of exploring new frontiers. The scenes in which things do not go to plan are suitably exciting and tense.

The film also addresses wider reaction to the US space programme. With the Vietnam War raging, economic and social issues plaguing society, and NASA’s testing resulting in fatal accidents, there was certainly not mass support to keep funding the programme. The protest song ‘Whitey on the Moon’ sums up one such sentiment.

Throughout, the attention to detail and the overall authenticity of the film are impressive, due in no small part to the involvement of Armstrong’s biographer, James R. Hansen in the production. The Armstrongs’ children have also said that the film accurately portrays their parents.

On the downside, while we are asked to emotionally invest in Armstrong’s home life, we don’t really get a satisfying payoff. There is some domestic discord along the way, but mostly Armstrong’s wife (played by Claire Foy) takes care of the kids, nervously lights cigarettes, and looks on with wide eyes as her husband becomes ever more distant and heads off to do increasingly dangerous stuff that may put him on the growing list of NASA astronauts who never return home to their families. These domestic scenes give us a flavour of Armstrong’s private struggles, but it doesn’t feel as though we really get to know the man and, unfortunately, they also work to slow the action down. In fact, there may have been an argument for incorporating more about Armstrong’s life before NASA and less of the domestic drama.

When it comes to the acting, all the performances are effective, if not spectacular. Gosling is stoic and committed as Armstrong. Jason Clarke offers strong support as Armstrong’s friend and fellow astronaut, Ed White, while Foy turns in a good ‘worried wife’ turn (with the occasional hint of an English accent).

One person who may feel aggrieved at his portrayal is Armstrong’s fellow Apollo 11 astronaut, Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll), who comes across as boorish and quite obnoxious. Given the conflicting personalities of Armstrong and Aldrin, it would have been nice to see more of their relationship in the build-up to the mission.

In summary, while this may not be the runaway success that some reviews have suggested, there is no doubt that the filmmakers invested lots of time and resources into recreating the events with accuracy. They were also committed to creating a narrative that shows us a glimpse of the real Neil Armstrong, who cemented his place in history with one step and an iconic line that could have been scripted by a Hollywood screenwriter!

On a side note, apparently, Clint Eastwood was attached to direct this film before Chazelle came on board. It would have been interesting to see the take Eastwood would have had on the story – it’s likely we would have seen a very different film.

Take a look at one of the official First Man trailers: