"First Man": Movie Review
"First Man" is a meager attempt at recreating what made Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) an icon for the space program. Director Damien Chazelle ("Whiplash", "La La Land") has crafted a beautifully filmed, but substantively empty film chronicling the events up to the moon landing.
Gosling as the broken and stubborn Armstrong is a complete miscast. The stoic and often bland portrayal comes across as rushed, rather then thoroughly executed. What's even worst is the chemistry between Armstrong and almost every other individual character in the movie. This includes Claire Foy's performance as Armstrongs wife, that inherently lacks any substantial dynamic or chemistry.
But what is incredibly striking is just how boring the material comes across. Screenplay writer Josh Singer ("Spotlight", "The Post") has completely failed to make any of the scenes seem vital. This is also a large part to do with Chazelle's safe direction.
Even with those apparent weaknesses, "First Man's" space scenes are exquisitely filmed. The interior production design that has been put on display is nothing short of remarkable. Chazelle's mastery with the camera is quite obvious (the shot on the moon is breathtaking), even if the scenes on the ground lack the flare.
The lack of poignancy and substantial dynamics is utterly missed in a film that has it's heart set out on developing a human drama. While the space scenes are astounding and almost worth experiencing for that alone, "First Man" quickly transpires into a missed opportunity.
Gosling as the broken and stubborn Armstrong is a complete miscast. The stoic and often bland portrayal comes across as rushed, rather then thoroughly executed. What's even worst is the chemistry between Armstrong and almost every other individual character in the movie. This includes Claire Foy's performance as Armstrongs wife, that inherently lacks any substantial dynamic or chemistry.But what is incredibly striking is just how boring the material comes across. Screenplay writer Josh Singer ("Spotlight", "The Post") has completely failed to make any of the scenes seem vital. This is also a large part to do with Chazelle's safe direction.
Even with those apparent weaknesses, "First Man's" space scenes are exquisitely filmed. The interior production design that has been put on display is nothing short of remarkable. Chazelle's mastery with the camera is quite obvious (the shot on the moon is breathtaking), even if the scenes on the ground lack the flare.
The lack of poignancy and substantial dynamics is utterly missed in a film that has it's heart set out on developing a human drama. While the space scenes are astounding and almost worth experiencing for that alone, "First Man" quickly transpires into a missed opportunity.
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