On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost—on Armstrong and on the nation—of one of the most dangerous missions in history. Written by Academy Award® winner Josh Singer (Spotlight), the drama is produced by Wyck Godfrey & Marty Bowen (The Twilight Saga, The Fault in Our Stars) through their Temple Hill Entertainment banner, alongside Chazelle and Gosling. Isaac Klausner (The Fault in Our Stars) executive produces. DreamWorks Pictures co-finances the film.
  • Incredible (!!!) visuals and audio (+2)
  • Pace is REALLY slow (-1)
  • Solid performance from actors (+1/2)
  • History of space exploration (+1/2)
  • High expectations, met (+1)

It’s hard to watch a movie like this one without going comparing it to “The Right Stuff” (released—holy FUCK!—35 years ago!!!). While The Right Stuff was, IMHO, a better movie, this one does an incredible job of making you feel the fear and claustrophobia that astronauts must have felt. No movie about space exploration has EVER made me feel this kind of anxiety—they really brought home the kind of terror you would experience strapping yourself on top of those rocket-bombs and shooting for the stars at a time when computers had less processing power than your SmartTV. Much respect for those guys!

Score: 8/10

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