Sunday, November 4, 2018

Review: FIRST MAN


Release Date: Malaysia, 18 Oct 2018
Genre: Drama / Adventure
Running Length: 2:21
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll
Director: Damien Chazelle 
Screenplay: Josh Singer, based on "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" by James Hansen 

What's this movie about?
FIRST MAN follows the story of astronaut Neil Armstrong on his journey to become the first man to walk on the moon in 1969.

Not only it focuses on the years leading up to that historical moment, this film also offers an intimate behind-the-scenes on his relationship with his family and what goes through his mind.


Highlights and Lowlights
Despite being a film about space adventure, I'm so glad the filmmakers didn't turn this into a special effects-loaded production. Most of the "space" scenes are from the POV of the astronauts inside the ship. And wow, David Bowie singing "Am I sitting in a tin can" in Space Oddity really rang true for those sequences!

And the moon scene is truly jaw-dropping.

In summary
Damien Chazelle's Whiplash left me breathless and it was one of the highest rated films of 2015 for me. His follow-up La La Land - man, the final act sucker punched me in the gut.

So it was with great anticipation I had for FIRST MAN, his third film. But somehow, the experience left me...emotionally detached.

I couldn't figure out what's wrong because this is a very accomplished film with good performances and technical achievement. Thus, I concluded that "it's not you, it's me". I am the problem. (Perhaps it's because I have never had any interest in the space race or even astronomy.)

That said, at least this movie sparked off some kind of interest to find out more about the Cold War. 

RATING: 7/10

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