Review of First Man (2018) by Ben M — 11 Oct 2018
If "The Right Stuff" is an A+, "The First Man" is a C-.
My first problem with the movie it its migraine-inducing cinematography. Most of the film is done with ultra closeup, hand held shots. There was too much of the movie having the middle of a forehead going down to the bottom of a nose occupying the entire screen. And those closeups made the hand held jerkiness all the more uncomfortable.
Then there's the writing, acting, and pacing. I never once thought I got a glimpse into Neil Armstrong's actual personality. Gosling does tend to be an under-actor, but he gave no real impression of Armstrong's vision, or sense of mission, other than he'd have liked to have had more fuel. The dialog was much too slow and, given the movie's length, there could've been so much more humor and character development.
The movie made me impatient and gave me a headache. Rematch "The Right Stuff" instead.
This review of First Man (2018) was written by Ben M on 11 October 2018.
First Man has generally received positive reviews.
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