Full of opinions, but free of spoilers.
This weekend came with a release that’s out of this world; First Man. The movie about the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong (I know, I’m so funny). If you enjoy documentaries and if you have any interest in Neil Armstrong, the space race or history in general, I believe you’ll really enjoy this film.
The first characteristic about this movie that comes to mind is, if it’s easy for you to experience motion sickness you may want to either wait and watch it on a normal size screen that isn’t movie theatre size, or pass on it altogether. I watched it on the Big D screen and even though I can experience motion sickness every now and then, I didn’t get bothered by the motion but my fiancé did and he doesn’t have issues with motion sickness. So, it really depends on the person. The very first scene of the movie is probably the worst when it comes to triggering motion sickness, but it’s probably one of the best cinematography shots in the film. Another characteristic about this movie that I wasn’t aware of before watching it, is the fact that it’s practically a documentary. There isn’t a main story arc or message but just Neil’s life before and when he walked on the moon. I enjoyed the fact it was a documentary style movie, but I can see where people could be turned off by it. The movie is shot through the eyes of Neil, which is where the motion sickness comes in; being hurled into space isn’t necessarily a smooth ride. First Man is beautifully shot and even has the 60’s grainy film look to it, which gives it even more of a documentary style feel. There are some moments in the film that are suppose to tug on the heart strings, it may do just that to you, but because the movie is kind of cold and emotionless the rest of the time, those moments where we’re suppose to have a strong feeling in the moment can fall short for some.
There are many big-name actors and actresses in this film but are biggest are Ryan Gosling as Neil and Claire Foy as Janet Armstrong, Neil’s wife. I really enjoyed Ryan Gosling in this role and it’s much different from his normal role of a lovable and fun character we usually see him in. I believed him the whole film and I feel like he could get some sort of Oscar nomination. I’m very quickly becoming a Claire Foy fan (anyone else excited for The Girl In The Spider’s Web?) but this wasn’t my favorite role she’s ever done. Don’t get me wrong she preformed really well, it’s just that she didn’t have much to do. The movie is about Neil and only Neil for the most part, so we don’t really get to dive into Janet and who she is and truly what she went through being the wife to an astronaut. We see a little but not enough to really make her a dynamic character or give Claire Foy much to do. Again, she was good but character didn’t have a lot of meat to it.
Again, I really did enjoy this movie and the biggest thing I took away from First Man was knowledge. I obviously knew nothing about anything when it came to the Space Race, Neil Armstrong or anything leading up to the first steps that were taken on the moon. I have more of a respect for the events surrounding the first big steps and for Neil Armstrong and his family. This movie also reminds me that space is super freaking scary yet fascinating at the same time. Lastly, should you take children to see this movie? Probably not, even though there were some children in our theatre who sat through the whole 2 hour and 21-minute-long film and declared at the end “I really liked that!” to their guardian when leaving.
Let’s chat! What are your opinions about the movie? What upcoming release should I check out? Email me at ocrutchf@aum.edu.
Hey, my name is Olivia Crutchfield! I’m not a movie expert but I just so happen to live with one, and our love for movies takes us to the movie theaters every single week to see new releases. So, be on the lookout for a review from me almost every week.
If you consider yourself a movie expert or you just really love them like me and want to listen to three guys giving their opinion on movies, all the while being hilarious, you may want to check out the podcast Best Pictures anywhere you get your podcasts.