Houston, We Have a Problem

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                                                                                           By Tom Pacak 

The number one rule I have for reviewing movies is this: don’t review the movie until you’ve seen it. Your opinions about the film are irrelevant until you’ve actually watched it. This rule applies heavily to anyone who hasn’t seen Damien Chazelle’s “First Man,” the true story about Neil Armstrong. Before the movie was released, a bunch of right-wing trolls got in a hissy fit over how the film doesn’t include the famous flag planting. They called for boycotts and decided the movie was garbage before even seeing it.  Look, I’ve seen “First Man” and it’s a pretty good movie, not a great one. I’m a huge Damien Chazelle fan; I stand by my belief that “Whiplash” is one of the best films of the 2010s.  “First Man” doesn’t achieve greatness due to the absence of the flag planting but for other reasons. You can like it or hate it, but criticizing the film for not having the flag planting is just ridiculous.

Instead, the film focuses on the man behind the mission Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling). Damien Chazelle is brilliant at capturing the psychology of perfectionists who focus more on their careers than their family life. Here, Chazelle takes a small step in his already brilliant career by focusing on how Neil Armstrong wanted to take this mission but also shows his struggle to have a peaceful family life. His wife Janet Shearon (Claire Foy) fears that this mission may cost Neil his life. 

After the recent loss of their daughter to cancer, NASA believes that Neil is too distracted and isn’t the man for the mission. During the process, Neil goes through so many obstacles that show how difficult this mission was. Some of his fellow co-workers are killed in an accident and the USA is rushing to get it done so they can beat the Soviets.

Ryan Gosling is a very good actor. In “First Man,” he’s not the highlight performance. Gosling mostly gives a wooden performance that should have been better. Gosling’s known for playing quiet beaten down men, but here, the script doesn’t give him enough moments to truly show his talent. The pretty good performance here is Claire Foy. She really captures what it’s like to constantly worry that your husband may or may not return from his dangerous mission.  

The highlight of the film, like all Damien Chazelle films, is it’s ending. Chazelle really knows how to conclude on a high note. In “Whiplash” and “La La Land,” Chazelle concluded on a note that left me feeling energetic and moved by the power of cinema. “First Man” ends in a more settled and peaceful note. It ends with Chazelle showing Neil Armstrong land on the moon. Chazelle collaborator Justin Hurwitz captures the risk of doing the mission and the beauty once the mission is completed. I really wish the rest of the film had the energy the ending did. Instead, I was looking at the stars waiting for something to happen.

Note: Now Playing in Theaters


Rating: 2.5 stars out of 4 stars

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