First Man Equals First Fail for Me

The trailer pulled me in the first time I saw it. I couldn't wait to see this movie...until I did. 

Though First Man does showcase exactly what it means to be an astronaut, it also takes you on a disjointed journey with secondary characters that serve no real purpose, even Claire Foy, who plays Janet Armstrong. She spends most of her time staring off into the distance with a pained expression, smoking the occasional cigarette. Sometimes, she does get up to wander around the house. Amazingly, some have mentioned this might be an Oscar-worthy role for her. 

Plots start but don't end, and while I understand that the movie is about Neil Armstrong's journey to the moon, there is no cohesion to that journey. His family seems like they were thrown in for little more than decoration and an occasional moment of playtime with Dad. 

In the beginning, Armstrong loses a daughter who is not yet three years old, and while the movie flashes back to the little girl, there is no clear sense of grief in the family. In fact, it moves forward from her funeral to Janet being pregnant yet again. There's no discussion, no coming together, and no sense of unity. But the marriage continues with little conversation between both adults.

The constant shaking and spinning inside the shuttles was meant to give the viewers a sense of reality, to help us experience what the astronauts experience. It only nauseated me. One reviewer even issued a warning that the scenes may cause vertigo. 

And the scenes that were drawn out for effect were ponderously and needlessly slow. Did we really need to see several minutes of the astronauts being strapped in or the descent down the ladder to the moon? What was meant to build up the tension only served to make me wish I had a remote so I could fast forward. 

Perhaps the movie would have been best spent focusing solely on the missions and picking up the pace. And maybe adding more emotion to the momentous occasion. I get that the director was going for visually stunning and dramatic. But, in my opinion, neither happened. It's never a good thing when halfway through the movie, you're bored enough to consider leaving. 

For me, it's not a movie I would see again, and I recommend watching the real clips of the moon landing like this one. At least you won't be subjected to the laborious minutes of unnecessary preparations.