FIRST MAN Review — He Thinks It Scored, She Thinks It Bored
First Man Review — The Sci-Fi Rock Guy Loved It as you’ll see in his video. His Wife At Home In Hollywood? Not So Much.
Jim’s take:
Lisa’s take:
I didn’t intend for this to be a he said/she said type First Man review, but really, I can hardly believe we were watching the same film. My husband Jim was sitting in the IMAX theater in rapture, while I was so bored I found myself counting the pores on Claire Foy’s perky nose. You should never watch a big face movie in an IMAX theater.
The thing is, I thought First Man was going to be big space, not a big face movie. I was sure director Damien Chazelle, the LaLa Land darling, would feature many sweeping, crystal clear visuals of a tranquil earth from outer space, or rugged moonscapes from halfway there. That would have been something to see on IMAX, as was Gravity.
But instead, perhaps in an effort to give us an authentic look at what Neil Armstrong must have actually experienced, Chazelle chose to show most of space through the same type of small, oddly shaped windows that Armstrong may have looked through. When two thirds of the screen is black and what you can see is intentionally out of focus, on IMAX, that’s annoying.
Chazelle seems to have focused on the bucket of bolts primitivity of space craft in the ’60’s and the amazing courage it took for Armstrong et al to climb in one and shoot for the moon. But when the director chose to emphasize the Mid-Western stoicism of the main characters, it makes for a long, slow ride. What was probably supposed to look like steely eyed commitment, Ryan Gosling and Foy, playing Armstrong’s wife, deliver as vacant stares. And don’t even get me started on her muddled “midwestern” accent.
I’m a great admirer of the work and efforts of everyone involved in this film. I just don’t think this is their finest moment—or 138 overly drawn out moments, to be exact.
Rated PG-13
Two Hours 18 Minutes
If Jim’s First Man review inspired you to see the movie, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.
First Man Review — The Sci-Fi Rock Guy Loved It. His Wife At Home In Hollywood? Not So Much.
I’ve lived through these rocket shots on the Space Coast of Florida since the early 60s and I still get excited when one goes up. What this film offered me was so somber that I kept wishing that the first astronaut to set foot on the moon had been an extrovert instead of the bland-faced “I keep everything inside my head” Neil Armstrong. We know by now that Ryan Gosling is great at playing deep (I guess, but who can be sure?) quiet male types. I kept yearning for some wide-angle views of earth and the moon.
In short, I wanted more than I got. Maybe it is a man’s film. The child who portrayed Karen was exquisite.