Review of First Man (2018) by Jacob E — 17 Oct 2018

When the final quarter of the year starts, the contending awards race begins, and "First Man" is the considerable first pick to kick off towards the year's end countdown for film. A celebration of the nation's former glory in one of the most significant achievements that was impossibly done in the first manned mission to the moon, including what lengths were taken in a decade of building up to the possibility of succeeding one of history's most dangerous missions.

Director Damien Chazelle gathered up the necessary collaborated talents towards perfection and readied himself to tell a story from Neil Armstrong's personal perspective with similar experienced elegancy of period setting and replicating the triumphant aura. His approach to honoring in memory of the late-astronaut is graceful as he didn't just go right onto the facts for historical accuracy but has taken it further to go right into them, which brings out a rare vision when most fact-based films are usually seen from the general sideline with zoomed-up lenses. The only problem would be the pacing in few areas that could've helped to soar to the positive maximum.

What made Chazelle's envisioned approach possible and felt that way is Linus Sandgren's continuous impressive range of sight being put into the film's cinematography by structuring the tight perspective for an immersive experience that would place the viewer within the same shared space, hence getting into the facts than just on them. The tight perspective isn't limited to manufactured spacecraft for mission carriages but really emphasize the emotional sense of struggle, love and eventual wonder that Armstrong has felt throughout the decade. Sandgren's skilled vision is so far a top contender for Best Cinematography, which he won for "La La Land".

Going along with Chazelle's effective direction is the excellent performances from the cast, particularly the main pair Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy as Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong while overall replicating the usual drama from surrounding the facts like how "Apollo 13" turned out. The performances were well-prepared and nicely taught when backed up with spaceflight knowledge, which enabled them to go with the tight perspective without breaking the formed barrier.

It would be no surprise that Chazelle-directed "First Man" would repeat the "La La Land" success in its own respective field from the same directorial viewpoint's impressive effort and quiet astonishment. Besides the two films sharing the exact same given rating, this film has proven the now expected cinematic force of Damien Chazelle's direction, with intrigued curiosity, that is worth checking out on the initial theatrical scale. (A-).