Review of First Man (2018) by Erin J — 21 Oct 2018

I don't know how you make the story of man first walking on the moon boring, but they managed to pull it off. Instead of going for inspiring, this movie went for gritty and brooding, and you just can't do that when it comes to one of the most amazing achievements of humankind.

There is definitely some dark content here, but the exploration of space here feels more like an obligation than exploration, and if Neil Armstrong was like this in real life...then he's just about the most boring person who ever lived.

You never see his true motives or desire to go to the moon; it feels like he's a sheep waiting to be herded in the right direction. You can't risk your life, putting yourself in a metal tin, flying into the atmosphere and beyond, without having some deep desire to pursue the unknown.

But here, this portrayal of Armstrong manages to do that; he shows no desire to explore space. Overall, the movie tries to cram too much in, leaving it ttoo long and not as well focused as it could have been.

Want to watch a good astronaut movie? Rent Apollo 13 again--even though it's about a huge failure in space exploration, it has more inspiration than this movie.