RichC2

I think it's just that somebody specifically pointed her review out like it was supposed to have more weight than the other 182 reviews out there. It irks me once in a while when people see an overwhelmingly well received movie and focus on the one or two negative reviews. But who knows, I can only speak for myself there.

I'll probably wait for this one on video, it sounds like it's very mechanical (which is fine) but very good -- I just don't think it's enough to get me into theaters for the third time this year.

Mabuse

I don’t care if she likes it or not. I’m bitching because she’s not even a film critic. And her taste is dreadful. And her intellect is childish.

Does rotten tomatoes count reviews like hers?

RichC2

rt counts everything

Mabuse

Film criticism is just gone from the average persons life these days. Sad.

Perkinsun Dzees

Pauline Kael probably would have trashed it too. She was notorious for picking apart critically acclaimed mainstream movies like Schindler's List and Silence of the Lambs and pretty much anything by Clint Eastwood.

Why So Blu?

Well, I just got back from watching it and it's a fine film. It's also a cold and not-that-entertaining of a film. I don't know if it's due to Armstrong being played almost as an autistic person. The Right Stuff and Apollo 13 blow this out of the water, though. First Man is also 141 minutes and does have a few moments of drag. Glad I saw it on the big screen but I doubt I will be watching it on home video.

I give it a mixed review. 2.75 stars or thereabouts.

The Antipodean

It was good, but not great. Definitely feeling a little bit overhyped with all the five-star reviews I've seen (and god help me for being uncool, but I liked La La Land more). Gosling was great considering what a buttoned-up character he was asked to play and Foy did a lot with a pretty thankless 'doting wife' type role I thought. What really did me in was the shaky-cam, extremely close up cinematography, it was very immersive and means to put you in Armstrong's POV obviously and really made you feel some of what the astronauts did, but good god it made me feel sick to my stomach and I wished they'd stop shaking the camera around so much, even in the quiet at home scenes the camera kept jiggling. A rather pivotal mid-movie action sequence left several people at the screening I was at saying "enough already"! Had a headache for hours after the movie which took some of the shine off it for me, even though I recognise it as a good artful biopic that has a lot of gorgeous moments in it.

The final act (which is the moon landing, and if you consider that a spoiler I can't help you) was a contrast with some gorgeous scene setting and I only wish the rest of the movie had a little more stillness to it. IMHO I'd rank The Right Stuff and Apollo 13 both above this myself. I'd give it a B.

Dan

^ I liked La La Land a lot more. This was definitely good, and I'm glad it covered a lot more of the personal life of Mr. Armstrong... all of which I found touching and engaging... but I'm not sure it needed to be as long as it was. I need to sit and think on it a bit longer.

I can't believe they

at the end.

RichC2

Looking at high teens for the weekend and a $1m on Thursday night previews.

They're hoping it legs out with older crowds (who rarely attend opening nights), but still about what I'd expect for a historical biopic like this.

Apollo 13 opened stronger ($25m) and legged out like crazy ($173m domestic), but that one was sold as far more exciting.

Traxan

Not off to a good start.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/daily/...ate=2018-10-12

Decker

Just saw it in IMAX -- read this is a must see in IMAX movie.

I really, really liked it. Yes it's kind of cold and a little overlong and slow. But it has a great deal of respect for the space program and I think it was handled very well. Technically it was so impressive. Loved how claustrophobic it was. Also really appreciated that they went completely the opposite of Apollo 13 in that they never cut away from the mission in space to show folks watching TVs and listening to the radios. Yes, they were shown, but not during the mission and I think the scene worked far better because of it. I will be the first to admit, I'm a sucker for Space Mission movies -- loved The Right Stuff, loved Apollo 13, Really loved From the Earth To The Moon (and WISH it was available in HD). So this was up my alley more than most folks. But I thought it was a great film and Gosling was so understated and intense in it. He won't win an Oscar for this -- it will be some big, grandiose performance like Bradley Cooper or Christian Bale or Viggo Mortensen. But what Gosling did here was just as impressive.

I loved the score as well, done by the composer of La La Land.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zcev7yEPeF8" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Decker

BTW, that video review is super annoying because of the way she talks to the camera, like how a preschool teacher talks to her class. She brings up the big emotional thing that happens with Neil on the moon and says it's made up. That seemed like a legitimate complaint considering how big a moment it is and how earned it feels.

I found this article on it. It sounds like it's a very likely hypothesis based on all the information currently known. To dismiss it as a complete fabrication is inaccurate and unfair.

DJariya

Saw it today also in IMAX and ditto this has to be seen in that format to fully enjoy it. The space sequences were shot with IMAX cameras.

Overall I really enjoyed it and I thought the space and rocket sequences were riveting, especially the opening sequence. It was probably one of the best technically made and edited movies this year.

I do think the last 10-12 minutes should have been edited out. Ending it with Armstrong in space and reflecting on his daughters passing would have been a more powerful ending. But I get that they wanted some closure and his wife after they parted on rocky circumstances.

Claire Foy was really good as Armstrong’s wife. Not sure if her performance is award worthy but she was really solid. Armstrong does come across as a bit cold.

If you don’t have AMC A List and can afford to spend the extra bucks, definitely shell out for an IMAX showing if you can. It really adds to the experience.

Noonan

Caught this in IMAX yesterday. Real good film but it did suffer from some issues. This is definitely more a pic about Neil than it is about the moon landing or space program. They spent more time dealing with him and his family than I would have liked. For example (spoilers since we don't have a 2nd thread):



I think the Gemini (which I guess I've been pronouncing wrong all my life?) scene was my favorite. And of course this comparison is going to be made; Apollo 13 shits all over this movie, IMO. It's still the king of early space travel films by a mile.

DWilson

It does, for those sequences shot in IMAX, which is the last quarter of the film. The rest of the film was shot in 16mm I'm told, and for me it was a little oppressive watching the softer format on such a big screen.
I thought it was well-made, though the approach made it a bit dry.

Traxan

Let the excuses flow. Right, it's all Star Wars' fault.

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/f...?ICID=ref_fark

BTW this podcast from an ex-military guy really picks apart the factual inaccuracies of the movie

https://player.fm/series/dark-secret...like-worst-man

DVD Josh

I would have never imagined a movie with this subject matter would be boring. But I was bored to tears by this film. It is very overrated, and if acting wooden gets you an oscar nom more power to Ryan I suppose. This is at best a B- film.

Rare Breed22

I totally agree. I had such high hopes for this film.

Defiant1

I saw it in IMAX on the weekend. Overall, it was good. It really showed how fucking terrifying it was to leave our atmosphere, let alone go all the way to the moon. Heck, it still is dangerous even today.

Ryan Gosling is fine playing the stoic and taciturn Neil Armstrong. He'll probably get another Oscar nomination because the Academy loves him, but he won't win as the role isn't showy at all. Claire Foy does the best she can in the role of The Wife. The supporting cast had some actors that I really like such as Kyle Chandler and Corey Stoll, so that was nice. I do expect plenty of technical Oscar nominations and probably Best Picture/Director as well, but no big wins. I would agree that the movie is too plodding and 20-30 minutes could have easily have been cut.

The best part of the movie is the final part when they land on the moon. The

brayzie

I skimmed through the Variety article.
Actually, I kind of agree with the writer to some degree, especially this part:

I haven't heard any criticism about First Man being too white. I wish the writer had provided some links. I did hear lots of talk about how it was anti-patriotic.

Ash Ketchum

"In space, no one can hear you snore."

Hazel Motes

I just got out of an IMAX screening. I thought it was FANTASTIC. I wasn't bored for a second. It sucked me in, completely. I thought Gosling gave his best performance since Half Nelson. Not all acting performances require chewing the scenery. I thought there was a lot of depth and honesty to his portrayal. The music was fantastic too, and the photography was absolutely breathtaking. Infact I thought the score and the photography came together in a really beautiful way, it was poetic at times. The film did a fantastic job of telling a beautiful human story through the lens of one of the great moments in human history. And at the same time it was a hell of an experience.

It didn't occur to me to compare this to Apollo 13, but since it has been brought up multiple times, I gotta say I think First Man is thrice the film Apollo 13 is, and I like Apollo 13.

I'm gonna have to catch it again before its out of IMAX. It's the movie of the year for me so far. 4.5/5

DWilson

But did he in fact do that? After all, it's a Docu-Drama.

Either way, I didn't have any problem with such a quiet bit of emotionalism.

Noonan

No one knows for sure but it was made up for the film. In theory he could have but he didn't tell anyone. The scene is not based on any facts.

Decker

As that article I posted pointed out, Armstrong claimed to have lost his personal manifest though he really didn't, so nobody knows what personal items he brought with him. But he probably brought something like that. We will know for sure when the manifest becomes public in 2020.