Damien Chazelle's First Man (Neil Armstrong Biopic Starring Ryan Gosling)

[Aximili86]

It is accurate to who Aldrin was, but it really sticks out like a sore thumb and is never really addressed.

Seems a little harsh on Aldrin there. I don't know Buzz has a reputation for being a particularly-a$$hole type of dude, he's just of that grumpy Korean-era guy mould, typa-A type of thing. Most of the test pilot type of guys kinda were like that, comes with the territory.

Do wish they'd got into the Conrad stuff a little though, but you can see why they wouldn't waste screentime on it.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Seems a little harsh on Aldrin there. I don't know Buzz has a reputation for being a particularly-a$$hole type of dude, he's just of that grumpy Korean-era guy mould, typa-A type of thing. Most of the test pilot type of guys kinda were like that, comes with the territory.

Aldrin was very...opinionated which a lot of the other astronauts didn't appreciate. It is certainly true that he wasn't alone in being somewhat difficult to be around. Some of those let it affect their performances too (For example, Apollo 7 was a complete mess with the crew constantly fighting with the ground staff and ignoring orders, and Deke Slayton having to take over CAPCOM personally. None of them ever flew again.), which wasn't the case for Aldrin. Aldrin performed incredibly well on actual missions.

 

[Schlosser85]

Aldrin apparently visited the set, so I wonder if he's seen the movie and what he thinks of it.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Aldrin apparently visited the set, so I wonder if he's seen the movie and what he thinks of it.

He has seen the movie, but he hasn't said what his thoughts were.

On a personal level, I think Aldrin is short-changed somewhat by history as being the "second" man on the Moon. They both landed at the same time, so to me they are both "first." I don't consider it a big deal who went down the ladder first.

 

[scarlet-witch]

I absolutely hated the way Chazelle shot this. There were far too many close ups and no it doesn't make me "feel claustrophobic like it would in a space capsule." He did it the ENTIRE film. It was awkward.

It's a shame because the script and actors are really good, and I never expected Chazelle of all people would ruin this movie.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I absolutely hated the way Chazelle shot this. There were far too many close ups and no it doesn't make me "feel claustrophobic like it would in a space capsule." He did it the ENTIRE film. It was awkward.

It's a shame because the script and actors are really good, and I never expected Chazelle of all people would ruin this movie.

Yes. This was my biggest problem with the movie. It worked in outer space (and the opening X-15 scene). But he'd also do it when people were talking or laying in bed, or sitting at a table or walking to their car. It was ridiculous and distracting.

 

[Greens]

The last 20 minutes of this were just amazing. Chazelle truly captured the awe and wonder that comes with flying to the moon.

 

[Micromind]

I wanted to see this but when I reached the theater near my home in second week, they had replaced the movie by Venom instead. I cannot travel several miles to watch this as I don't have that much time, so I guess I will wait for the Blu-ray.

 

[Micromind]

He has seen the movie, but he hasn't said what his thoughts were.

On a personal level, I think Aldrin is short-changed somewhat by history as being the "second" man on the Moon. They both landed at the same time, so to me they are both "first." I don't consider it a big deal who went down the ladder first.

This is ridiculous, first or second is irrelevant, how does it diminish the achievement of those who walked on Moon ? People giving too much importance to trivial things.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

This is ridiculous, first or second is irrelevant, how does it diminish the achievement of those who walked on Moon ? People giving too much importance to trivial things.

Well, I agree. I have tremendous respect for all of them, including those that never landed at all. But it bugs a lot of people, including Aldrin, because it is treated as somewhat "lesser" not to be the first one to step foot on the surface (even though the big feat was actually landing on the Moon).

 

[TheVileOne]

I absolutely hated the way Chazelle shot this. There were far too many close ups and no it doesn't make me "feel claustrophobic like it would in a space capsule." He did it the ENTIRE film. It was awkward.

It's a shame because the script and actors are really good, and I never expected Chazelle of all people would ruin this movie.

I agree. Like I recall one shot in the film a character is just walking to the car, and the camera was constantly jostling.

I was sort of fine with that style in the space capsules because it felt a little more immersive. Those shots worked for me because it did effectively put you in the cockpits.

But the way it was shot on the ground, it didn't work for me.

In terms of history short-changing people, don't forget about Michael Collins.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Yes. This was my biggest problem with the movie. It worked in outer space (and the opening X-15 scene). But he'd also do it when people were talking or laying in bed, or sitting at a table or walking to their car. It was ridiculous and distracting.

Agreed. Shaky cam is way over used today. It has its uses (and to be fair, it is used very well at times in this movie), but way too often is used just because they can.

 

[Aximili86]

Well, I agree. I have tremendous respect for all of them, including those that never landed at all. But it bugs a lot of people, including Aldrin, because it is treated as somewhat "lesser" not to be the first one to step foot on the surface (even though the big feat was actually landing on the Moon).

Yeah, it makes sense. Armstrong had seniority of course, but I can see why it would grind Aldrin's nerves a little, given it's a team effort. Still, guess the ol' "nobody remembers who comes in second" thing applies.

 

[Greens]

Agreed. Shaky cam is way over used today. It has its uses (and to be fair, it is used very well at times in this movie), but way too often is used just because they can.

When people complain about shaky cam it's usually because it's used to disguise bad action or make an action scene more ADHD. The way shaky cam is used in this movie really has no bearing on that epidemic, it's just a stylistic choice. I noticed it but it didn't really bother me.

 

[Hurm...]

The grounded, earth-ly nature of the shaky cam makes sense when you contrast it with the fluidly-shot moon scenes. You feel a significant difference between the two environments, not just from the differing landscapes, but through these contrasting techniques. That was the whole point of its use, and it makes complete sense in my opinion.

 

[TheVileOne]

The grounded, earth-ly nature of the shaky cam makes sense when you contrast it with the fluidly-shot moon scenes. You feel a significant difference between the two environments, not just from the differing landscapes, but through these contrasting techniques. That was the whole point of its use, and it makes complete sense in my opinion.

Still didn't look good IMo.

 

[Luigi]

Surprised at how poorly this is performing at the box office.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Just too many other movies right now doing extremely well, it sort of got lost in the crowd. They should have released this around Christmas.

 

[samsnee]

Nah Christmas is just as crowded. I would have gone with February.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Christmas gives people more time to discover films. It’s why films that don’t even open that large end up having long legs.

 

[samsnee]

Well maybe I'll just shut my big mouth then.

 

[Asr]

I saw the movie last night in genuine 70mm IMAX and thought it was good, but not quite great. A couple of the minor things that detracted from it for me were the pacing (it was a bit too slow-paced) and the camera movements (as mentioned by others already). It was more of a character-based movie than I was expecting and focused more on Armstrong's personal story and less on the historical events. The sequences in space were awesome on the IMAX screen, and the movie overall made fantastic use of sound (at times, lack of sound) and music. And the ending proves that Chazelle really knows how to end a movie with emotional impact (this is his third movie I've seen after Whiplash and La La Land).

And as a space/astronomy buff, it was also gratifying to hear the full "one small step for man" radio transmission.

This was a great movie, and I'm disheartened to see the conversation about it is being dominated by complaints of historical accuracy, lack of patriotism, or that it dared to be about a white man. I feel like everyone's missing the point. This is really a movie about loss and grief, repression and stoicism, and catharsis, and it does so in a manner that is experiential rather than procedural. THE RIGHT STUFF, APOLLO 13, and FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON are all great, but none of them made me cry the way this one did in that moment with the bracelet. That's not to say one is better than the other, but I got something out of this one and its approach that I haven't in any other, and that is to be cherished.

Agree with you on everything said there. If I had to describe it even more succinctly, this was an emotionally-themed movie that chose to center on Neil Armstrong as a father and husband, which it totally delivered on. It wasn't as much about history, patriotism, racism, etc. It started and ended with Armstrong's memory of his daughter, which made it feel more meaningful than a movie that could've otherwise been a standard historical drama.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I honestly liked it more because it was about Neil Armstrong, the husband and father. I don't want to see a movie giving me insight I already know and being a historical greatest hits album. I like when these movies help you understand the people better, and on that front this movie succeeded.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I honestly liked it more because it was about Neil Armstrong, the husband and father. I don't want to see a movie giving me insight I already know and being a historical greatest hits album. I like when these movies help you understand the people better, and on that front this movie succeeded.

I think both work. I like both the Patton approach to history (which is about the man) and The Longest Day approach (which is about the event). But in this particular case, I think looking at who Armstrong was was the fresher approach. Between The Right Stuff and From the Earth to the Moon (specifically this one as it is all about the Apollo missions) and countless documentaries, the historical aspect of the Space Race has been pretty thoroughly covered. But aside from the book that this film is based on, there isn't a lot out there about Neil Armstrong the human being. I found this approach more interesting.

I do think The Right Stuff and Apollo 13 are better crafted films though overall. For sure. Both of them are among my favorite movies ever. But that doesn't really have anything to do with the approach to the material. Interestingly, The Right Stuff is the least historically accurate of them even though I think it is ultimately the best film ever made on the subject of the space program.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I think both work. I like both the Patton approach to history (which is about the man) and The Longest Day approach (which is about the event). But in this particular case, I think looking at who Armstrong was was the fresher approach. Between The Right Stuff and From the Earth to the Moon (specifically this one as it is all about the Apollo missions) and countless documentaries, the historical aspect of the Space Race has been pretty thoroughly covered. But aside from the book that this film is based on, there isn't a lot out there about Neil Armstrong the human being. I found this approach more interesting.

I do think The Right Stuff and Apollo 13 are better crafted films though overall. For sure. Both of them are among my favorite movies ever. But that doesn't really have anything to do with the approach to the material. Interestingly, The Right Stuff is the least historically accurate of them even though I think it is ultimately the best film ever made on the subject of the space program.

I agree each approach has their place, but I find these types of movies speak to me more when they're more about the people. I just connect with them more and care more about what is going on ultimately.