Review of First Man (2018) by Ned E — 15 Oct 2018

First Man wove together home life and career, grief and vulnerability, and courage and intelligence. It's a biopic, not necessarily an action movie. Yes, yes, there are extraordinary space flight sequences, but it's very much about Armstrong's head and heart and the behind-the-scenes NASA culture (PR/optics, politics, friends, neighbors, families).

The firepower and heroism make it easy to forget that there was so much more to it, and how near the edge they all stood. (First Man is not "First Landing" or "Apollo 11.") A deft story a short time in one family's life together--and the ways some of us carry grief over and love for family and friends.