First Man

First Man follows the story of Neil Armstrong, the first man to land on the moon and the events leading to the famous Apollo 11 mission as well as the effect his occupation had on his family.

Cinematography: 20/20

First Man is a stunning looking film, the way that Damien Chazelle helms this film with the surprisingly effective look of shaky cam in scenes involving space credits the films ability to feel gritty and real, in addition the look of the moon is simply astounding and the Oscar for best visual effects being awarded to this film seems inevitable.

Main Cast: 20/20

Both Ryan Gosling and Claire Foys performance really pushes the film towards excellent, both actors give quiet but almost obscenely realistic performances in a very complicated and messy marriage.

Supporting Cast: 15/20

For the most part the supporting cast do what they are paid to do and to it to a very high and exceptional standard, particularly Corey Stroll who plays Buzz Aldrin, however some more minor characters do not live up to the standard set by some of their fellow cast members, a minor complaint but an impediment nonetheless.

Originality: 17/20

Whilst biopics about famous people and films about space all follow a pretty similar story, First Man gets credits for being a very different film in both of those sub genres, however some of the familiar genre tropes are noticeable in the film as it unfolds.

Story: 13/20

The story of First Man in my opinion is the films biggest fault. At some points you can be absolutely riveted by these intense moments in space and at other times you can be watching a family around a dinner table with little tension or emotional impact, however for the most part I was consistently entertained and invested in the story it’s just that the script just seems to be cutting back and forth between two things that are polar opposite.

Overall: 85/100, GOLD

First Man affected me In a way I never thought it would. To say that this film is mismarketed would be a grave understatement to say the least. This is an emotional and real film that whilst I would not call a masterpiece I would definitely not have any problem calling a great film and one of the best of the year.

- Jordan