Posted on 10/13/2018 6:49:16 PM PDT by Future Snake Eater
So I took the family to see "First Man" today. The movie took a lot of heat from virtue-signaling types, but I suspected the criticisms were unfounded. I was nearly totally correct. Like, 98%.
First of all, I'm not super well-read on the space program as compared to some uber-nerds who I'm sure populate this forum who could run rings around me in general knowledge regarding this era of our history. I have, however, been interested in the space program for a long time and even got to meet Alan Shepard at a book signing at the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL, once. I've seen all the key films and documentaries, and I (read?) the audio book "Rocket Men" which was quite exhaustive in its content and research. Now that my bona fides (or lack thereof) are established...
Ryan Gosling is great. When I saw he was cast as Neil Armstrong in the first trailer for this film, I thought that was some fantastic casting. He's nearly always quiet, stoic, and thoughtful in his roles which fits everything I've read about Armstrong. I don't know anything about the real Janet Armstrong, but Claire Foy did a fine job playing his supportive-but-perpetually-worried wife. While he's not in many scenes, Corey Stoll (Marvel fans will recognize him as the bad guy in the first "Ant-Man") plays Buzz Aldrin as a bit of a loudmouth who rubs people around him the wrong way, which, again, based on what I've read, seems to fit well. The other most recurring role outside the Armstrong clan is their friend, neighbor, and fellow astronaut Ed White played by Jason Clarke who is very good in that role, too, if a bit generic in his "overall good guy" portrayal, but I'm sure the real Ed White was a good dude.
The film is heavily reliant on sound. That's not to say it doesn't look fantastic, because it does. There's an added film grain look that almost makes it look like a new-ish 1960s film. But the sound punishes you. That doesn't mean it's overly loud, it just uses sound a lot to put us right there. As Armstrong streaks through the stratosphere in his X-15 in the opening scene of the film, the shaking and rattling of the aircraft combined with Armstrong's rapid breathing elevates the heart rate. When the Gemini 8 rocket lifts off and we're strapped into the tight capsule with Armstrong and Scott, the harsh creaking and slamming and whining of their spacecraft as it roars off the launchpad puts us in a spot we've never really been in any other film. These guys are just there for the ride until they hit orbit and it feels like a very, very dangerous trip. The close-ups of the rivets holding the panels together were especially effective shots communicating to us just how rickety these things are given the stresses they're supposed to endure.
The tone of the film, in juxtaposition to the intense sound and beautiful shots, is quiet, sad, almost funereal. Armstrong's daughter Karen died of cancer at a very young age. Numerous friends of his die though the course of the space program. Each loss impacts the stoic Armstrong by further driving him to stoicism. My wife commented that he would be a very difficult man to live with, and, indeed, Neil and Janet Armstrong divorced in 1994 after 38 years of marriage. You can see the seeds of that sad end in this film.
Now on to the political side of it all.
There is something of a montage scene after the Apollo 1 fire. Some hippies outside the Cape Canaveral facility doing a bongo circle poetry slam with this black guy lamenting in prose how he don't got nuffin but "whitey is on the moon." There are contemporary interviews of young Baby Boomers whining that space program money could be spent to solve all of our society's ills instead of being wasted on exploration. My favorite is the bongo circle types brandishing signs with pictures/names of the dead astronauts, asking if the sacrifice is worth it--like people like that give a damn about dead people and definitely aren't using their bodies to try to advance their political ideals. Perish the thought. Post-Apollo 11, there is montage footage of the celebrations around the country (I'm a little spotty on this scene since that's when I had to take my son to the bathroom). As I walked out of the theater, I heard a French woman proclaiming how she knew the Americans would do it because they don't fail. Overall, I though the movie showed both sides fairly dispassionately, but the latter set of scenes was clearly more exciting b/c real people really cared about the achievement. During the poetry slam scene, all I could think was "Who here knows who this guy is? Who here knows who Neil Armstrong is?" Case closed as far as I'm concerned.
Finally, the moon landing itself. Great scene, meticulously accurate. When they finally open up the LEM, the camera looks down through the hatch and the effect of that shot makes the moon feel like a completely alien place these guys are about to set foot on. It's a feeling I've never felt before in any other film/show/documentary. There is something of a montage scene as Armstrong and Aldrin do their thing, but the overall scene is played from a very personal perspective with respect to Armstrong. Could the filmmakers have worked them putting up the flag in a quick cut as part of the montage? Yes, I think so. Would it have detracted from the film? No, I don't think so. Do I think the film is an insult to patriotic Americans and ruined as a result? Hell no.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. It went the opposite direction of the NASA press release side a la "The Right Stuff." This was far more personal and felt realistic. These weren't invincible Supermen doing the impossible with a smile and a wink. These were human beings fully committed to doing an extremely dangerous job, and they paid a personal price for it.
Bottom Line: ignore the virtue-signalers. This is a great film and well worth your time.
“I never, ever heard anyone whining about the Moon landing”
Ditto. I was just two weeks shy of my 18th birthday. My Dad was in aerospace building critical missile and spacecraft systems (Polaris, ERTS/Nimbus, MJS/Voyager) so we watched closely. Like you, I never recall any “baby boomers whining about the moon landing.” There was lots of debate in the early and mid 60s about the size of the space budget and whether we should spend that money here to fix social ills, but as the moon landing drew near, the entire nation and world became transfixed and those concerns faded away.
It was a most amazing time. It was probably the one event that drew the entire world together more than any other event in my lifetime.
There was a photo of a wiped out street from Hurricane Michael. Grey mud covered everything, but a guy was rigging up an American flag on his porch. The contrast in color was amazing - and is just the sort of thing to give people hope.
Usually it is a catastophe or a war against such evil (like WWII that brings Americans together - and brings out the true meaning of “America”. The moon landings was a rarity I think in something good and great happening to bring Americans together. A shame to try to rewrite history with regard to the flag.
The Olympics might be another event that brings us together - but not like the moon landing did. (Hmm - do they ever take out the scenes where the skier or skater grabs an American flag and skates around the rink holding it high?)
Pete Conrad way a great guy. My Dad knew him, met him when I was 17.
“So 50 years later we can’t even get back to the moon, a mere three days from home. We still have poor people, we still have highways with potholes, the decision to remain earthbound has in my opinion been a stupefyingly stupid mistake.”
Amen,Brother!
Thanks for the review,I’ll see it.
Are you perceiving we didn't like it yet?
Thanks for the review. I’ll buy the bluray when it’s released.
The really tight shots were there to put us in the capsules with the astronauts. Usually filmmakers build their space capsules larger than what they actually were for logistical purposes of moving cameras around in them. These capsules are actual size and were a pain to film in as you can imagine. I appreciated the attention and dedication to detail.
The Gemini 8 launch, especially, could easily be deemed "boring" because you're not looking at anything important, but I thought it was amazing in showing just what it was like to sit on top of that rocket, praying it doesn't explode or fly apart after ignition.
You saw it and this was your conclusion? Or are you parroting nonsense from other people who also haven't seen it?
I didn’t forget either of those things. You just don’t know how to read.
They didn't cover it up. It's right there. So are all the U.S. flag patches and decals and the praise for the achievement of America afterwards. Your entire premise is wrong.
I liked it. It’s clear the film makers were painstaking about accuracy. The events were thoroughly researched. Gosling was excellent for the part.
The soundtrack was incredible. You felt like you were there.
Although these men were stellar engineers and pilots, they were also human, with apprehension and fears. The movie showed this.
Armstrong was a private and singleminded person. He kept his feelings close to the vest and never talked about his deceased daughter, whom he clearly had a special relationship with. His press conferences were awkward-he didn’t give more than a three word answer to any question.
The prickly relationship with his wife was believable and probably similar to most relationships with this dynamic. Both he and Janet had very tough shells which seemed impossible to penetrate. In the situation where death is on the line with every mission, it was no doubt safer that way. Foy’s native British snuck through on a few occasions, but I was particularly interested in that, so was listening closely for it.
The only aspect that bothered me a little was the jerky nature of the filming (not referring to the flight scenes where no doubt it was realistic). I know this is a technique to simulate home movie and documentary filming, but it’s just not my cup of tea.
Definitely worth seeing and the finest movie I’ve seen so far this year.
If you’re going to skip something, skip A Star Is Born - yuch.
A Navy SEAL astronaut interviews the "First Man" director. According to some on this board, he, too, must be a "fraud."
I can believe it about “A Star Is Born.” I tend not to give a damn about the “this is what it’s like to get famous and be famous!” Whatever. Same reason I still haven’t seen Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land.” I can’t get behind worshiping a city as Hollywood is periodically wont to do.
However, if you haven’t seen Chazelle’s “Whiplash,” then I highly recommend it. Amazing film with some brilliant performances.
Everyone makes their own subjective decisions about things like this. A lot of Freepers claim they no longer watch football; but I’m sure that many others do, as they’ve decided that their particular interest outweighs any good they might do by boycotting.
I don’t think there are many products today that we can be assured are free from leftist influence. And every one of them involves the contribution and supports the livelihoods of a lot of ‘little people’ that we DO agree with. (A lot of people here despise Amazon, but for some of us with limited ability to get around or without access to convenient neighborhood shopping find it a godsend – and it, too, provides trade opportunities to many small, true-blue American businesses and individuals.)
It seems to me that people can express their opinions and feelings about an issue without the personal attacks that some others have made on this thread. I thought the original poster did an excellent and even-handed job in this review; and while I may not see this film in the theater, I will definitely see it. (And it sounds like it might be very inspiring to young people contemplating careers, as long as the larger history is also inculcated.)
I appreciate your opinion but, no thank you. They made it quite clear this is not celebrating American exceptionalism, and that just upsets me.
I imagine tptb are quite happy that the lack of acknowledgement is not bothering most movie goers. They got their point across. That the US is the country that landed on the moon, doesn’t matter.
I will not be making a contribution at that altar.
I forget the old time actor who said he was slow on his lines because it increased his camera time.
She was worried, rightfully so, about his safety. When Gemini 8 is spinning out of control and Armstrong and Scott are clearly in real trouble, NASA cut off the radio transmission. Any wife who cared about her husband would’ve been very angry about that. I didn’t think she was overdone at all.
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