10/8/18 - First Man (2018) - 7/10

First Man blasts off with a stellar crew and a gorgeous & powerful rocket, but whether this eagle lands for you probably depends on whether the jet fuel they are using is explosive enough for you. In my case, it got where it needed to go, but I question the journey to a degree. It reminded me of some other quite good films that easily expose their skill, craft, and talent, but that I just couldn’t muster up a great deal of caring about (ie Lincoln, Darkest Hour, etc.). I did like this film and it is well worth a view, because when it is flying, it damn well soars.

Like a delicate Apollo 13, that comes to us by way of Gravity, 2001, and Tree Of Life. There is definitely a sense of loss and obsession, like Chazelle’s other films, that drives the core of this one, but he is also doing so much more. The scale and grandeur he displays is awesome in the truest sense of the word. The intensity his vision, editing, and the soundtrack bring to some of those scenes leaves one breathless. These are some of the moments where you see those earlier influences not just laid bare but capitalized upon and heightened. Also, the intermittent low key humor cuts the intense drama, but its intensity is still extreme and evocative. A tremendous job.

We have to talk about Gosling. He is always so tough to get a bead on ... his solemnity and stoicism, it is forever distant and unknowable. It is tough to delve into the heart of a character when they are cold like the blackness of space. This is another role where his type is placing me in a limbo of indecision; am I impressed by his earnest intensity and quiet passion or is he another non-emotional automaton? I really don’t know, but when he needs to bring it in the biggest scenes, he does bring it.

Foy is strong, but she has subtlety as her biggest ally. Very few “Oscar spots” to work with, but she keeps a grounded desperation and emotionally stable counter-balance of Gosling’s Armstrong. I would like to see more from her after seeing this.

I liked this film. It is extremely well made. Chazelle does a fine job capturing the majesty and mystery of early space exploration. Grand shots mixed with tight shaky first person that puts you in the moment. It was probably a bit heavy handed on the daughter angle and forming a sympathetic tie, but it was likely needed, with the character and actor being so distant. Beyond the craft there is a closeted sense of staleness and roboticism but it doesn’t detract  from the glory and proudly driven purpose that the rest of the film delivers.