"First Man" (2018) Review

“First Man” is a slow, painful race to the moon.

Directed by: Damien Chazelle

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 2:21

Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling portrays Neil Armstrong in this polished yet, emotionally unavailable bio-pic. Adapted from the book by James R. Hansen, “First Man” shows a first-person account of what the astronaut’s life was really like in the 1960s. Audiences are able to see the inner turmoil and struggle Neil and his wife face together, as well as how these inner demons will affect his preparation for the most dangerous mission in space history. 

I went to see “First Man” with very high expectations in mind, seeing that Damien Chazelle is easily one of the Hollywood’s most intricate directors. To say I was thoroughly unimpressed with this flick is a complete understatement. One would think that one of the most monumental moments in American history, like Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, would be portrayed in a way that is very beautiful and inspiring. Well, let me tell you: the film didn’t even show him sticking the American flag in the moon…

For those who are unaware of director Damien Chazelle’s previous work, he first soared into the critically-acclaimed scene with his first film, “Whiplash” (2014). His second film, “La La Land” (2016), which earned Chazelle his first Oscar for “Best Director”. So, of course a film enthusiast like myself would go into one of his latest films thinking it will be at least somewhat good, especially since this one is receiving some serious Oscar buzz. However, I didn’t see anything Oscar buzz-worthy while watching this film.

 Yes, the cinematography was splendid and the sound-mixing and score of the film was spectacular also. But, we have seen the exact same elements be this great in Chazelle’s other films. Hardly anything in the flick was different, except for maybe the fact that his previous films ended up being way better than this one. The score in “First Man” has the exact same tune as Academy Award winning “City of Stars” in “La La Land” which in all honesty, left me very confused and also concerned.

Critically-acclaimed actors, Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy probably could have saved the movie from plummeting, but unsurprisingly didn’t. I very much wanted Gosling to be amazing in this flick because after all, he is portraying one of America’s greatest legends. However, much like the film itself, his performance was completely stale and lacked any emotion whatsoever. There was also a lack of dialogue throughout the film, which also didn’t help its case at all. It was almost like the film focused more on the musical score and cinematography than the actual story and entertainment factor. But, this said cinematography and score wasn’t all that great because again, it was extremely similar to “La La Land” and guess who was also in that film? Ryan Gosling.

It seems as if every film in the space-drama genre has earned a huge amount of critical acclaim, so I wasn’t too surprised that “First Man” had. Although, if you were to compare it to 2015’s “The Martian” or even 2017’s “Hidden Figures”, you would find that this film is easily the most boring film compared to these two. Unless you are super interested in space travel and other various space phenomena, space flicks are generally going to be extremely slow to watch, which is why they need to be entertaining and express strong emotion in every scene to keep the movie flowing and energized. There was zero emotion shown in “First Man”, which is why I am still completely shocked that many critics are calling it “a wild ride”.

 Yes, Neil Armstrong’s accomplishment was arguably one of the greatest achievements in the world, but this kind of space bio-pic has been done a thousand times. In my opinion, if filmmakers are going to struggle this badly to get the story across and top the space flicks before it, then why make another one of these films in the first place.

All in all, “First Man” is a film that could have been phenomenal but instead, is anything but. It is not worthy of your time or an Oscar in my opinion. With awards season right around the corner, I’m sure the film will still get a nod, not only because of the critically-acclaimed Chazelle being who he is, but also this is the typical, Old-Hollywood type of flick that always weasels its way into the Academy’s heart. Maybe critics watched a totally different film than me, but all I can say is this: that was two hours and twenty-one minutes of my life that I can’t get back and very strongly wish I could.