Review of First Man (2018) by Garmonbozia — 27 Nov 2018

This is again a movie which is clearly over-hyped. I agree that the performances are good (especially Claire Foy). Neil Armstrong wasn't too charismatic so I understand why Gosling chose to play him with this stoic attitude and empty stares.

He also showed very real emotions in a couple of more dramatic scenes. But in the end this character wasn't really that interesting. I agree that trials of getting to the moon are shown in a thrilling manner.

I disagree that the landing on the Moon in this movie was particularly spectacular. It was OK, but kinda meh. The surface of the Moon is cratered, grey and dusty - that's it. The real fuss was about the emotional journey.

In this movie the screenwriter and director decided to tell the story from the point of a family drama. This is the strongest aspect of the movie. Armstrong is portrayed as someone who didn't manage to cure his daughter, so he is determined to go to the moon despite all the odds.

We saw him searching for the treatment for her. In his opinion he probably failed her. So it is a promise he made (to himself / to her?) that he will never fail again. I know that people make a lot of strange stuff "for their loved ones" and a lot of times those things are like an ego driven wishes, dressed up as a tribute to lost ones.

I'm OK with it. But it was almost the only thing that kept this movie arc together. The movie tries to base it's emotional payoff on a very oscar-baity scene, that nobody can confirm ever happened in real life.

So is it a lie?, probability?, assumption ??? Not a good way to end the journey. It's not a bad movie. It's a bit slow and blurs the lines between real events and pure fantasy. The ending was just to emotionally manipulative for me and clearly an oscar-bait.