Space Race with Issues

FILM: First Man (2018)

STARS: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy

WHERE: Marcus Wehrenberg Ronnie’s 20

PREMISE: A film about early NASA and going to the moon from the perspective of Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon.

HE SAID: It looks like I was the only member of the group who enjoyed this film. (See it in IMAX. Its worth it.) There was some dramatic license taken to enhance emotional appeal but over all it was well done. SCORE: 7 (On a scale of 1 to 10).

SHE SAID: It was okay. It was interesting observing from the perspective of the astronauts for a little while, but in doing so the filmmakers purposely had a lot of the shots be unsteady which in the end I found more distracting than helpful as a viewer.  On that note, if you get motion sickness, this might not be a good movie for you especially not in IMAX.  I don’t get motion sickness easily, but I had to close my eyes a few times to keep from getting too nauseous.  The scenes on the moon made the IMAX totally worth it though. I found the portrayal of Armstrong okay, but it is hard to judge since the real man was notoriously tight lipped. I found Ryan Gosling’s performance to portray him as driven and stoic. Watching 2 hours of a stoic person doesn’t give a lot of scope at times. As the filmmakers seemed to be trying to give an accurate picture of Neil Armstrong’s journey through the program to the moon, I didn’t agree with some of the dramatic license they took.  I wish they would have covered more ground about his life at home. Also, it ended abruptly.  SCORE: 5 (On a scale of 1 to 10)