[James]

A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Director: Damien Chazelle
Writers: Josh Singer (screenplay by), James R. Hansen (based on the book by)
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213641/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

Youtube video

I'm quite interested in space, so this is the film released this month that I want to see.

[Livia]

Me too... Haven't looked forward to a film so much for a while.

Oooo just thought what my "Mastermind" specialist subject would be.

[James]

I saw the film yesterday. I got into it as it went on.

Neil Armstrong is portrayed as very introverted and reserved, and some people might find the drama difficult to get into because of that. The public and professional image of the real Neil was like that - and in First Man he is portrayed like that in his home life to a large degree. You wonder how much of a Hollywood version that is, but I don't mind the film-makers taking liberties like that as long as it is understood it is a movie version of the character.

The film is very much about Neil Armstrong and his wife Janet, and the relationships and camaraderie amongst the astronauts aren't really explored. Buzz Aldrin, for instance, is quite a minor character in the film. Also, the film really gets across the danger of preparing for, and carrying out, space missions.

I am quite interested in the space programme of the 60s and 70s so I was familiar with the space missions in the film, but I didn't know about the family tragedy which Neil Armstrong experienced (and happens early in the film).

The Gemini mission is shown almost entirely from inside the capsule - you don't see the rocket launch from the outside at all, and there is little 'space ballet' at this point, like with the ships in 2001 and other films. I thought that was an interesting choice and emphasises how much the film is about Neil's perspective and experiences, but I wondered - at this point in watching - if that choice was down to a limited budget (I read it cost $60 million to make which is actually fairly high).

However you do get more external views from space when the film gets to Apollo 11 so maybe they were waiting for that. I found the Apollo 11 launch really thrilling with the music, sound and everything. The music score is excellent and emotionally involving. I felt the most invested in the film at this point, and the moon scenes are stunning. The launch, landing and the walking on the moon scenes are my favourites.

So I give the film a thumbs-up, although I'd imagine that some people who go to see it might find the drama a bit slow. I'd be interested in what other people thought.