Review of First Man (2018) by Nicholas J — 11 Oct 2018

First Man may be Damien's weakest film by far, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. Let's start with the controversy of the god damn flag. Does Ryan plant the flag? No. Is the film anti-american? No. Reason? The entire film has American imagery and hell, even after they land there is a shot that blatantly has the flag erected on the moon next to the module. There is even an interview with a french woman saying how glad she is about America beating the Soviets to the moon. No, this doesn't trample on the american spirit by not having a shot of Armstrong putting up the flag because the entire movie is an American love fest.

That being said, the film does a great job talking more about the character of Armstrong rather than romanticizing his achievement for America and man kind. The symbol of what it means to be the first man on the moon has certainly changed over the years. Initially, it was a huge blow to the USA vs. USSR space race. But since then, what Armstrong accomplished was more far reaching and you see how he was emotionally strained from all of the tests he had to go through just for this dream. While one thing at the end was a bit fabricated, it still is something that I found touching. But what First Man ultimately says about the event is how as a society of warring nations, we managed to collectively gather for an event like no other, for a lack of a better term, Neil was the first human ever to walk the surface of the moon. It isn't just about the conflict between the USA and USSR, but it stands as a testimate to the human spirit and ingenuity.

The cinematography helps a lot to get into the moments that shaped the experience. POV's help emphasize the claustrophobic nature of the capsule, the immense g-force of the lift off.

Like with the rest of his films, Damien has a motif of music, but I feel this was a bit more subtle.

As for flaws, the pace is too much of a slow burn and it makes the plot boring at times. Ryan is a good actor, but I felt like there were certain scenes where his acting should have been directed better. It's weird to see a person give little to no emotion after a traumatic event.

I like the film, but I don't think it is Damien's best of his filmography.