Everyone has seen the footage of astronaut Neil Armstrong becoming the first person to set foot on the moon, and uttering that immortal phrase, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. However, there’s so much more to the story of the long and dangerous struggle it took to get to that historic moment.
First Man opens in 1961 as Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) is involved in a near-deadly aircraft mishap while participating in a test pilot exercise. During the flight his mind was on his young daughter who was dying from a rare form of brain cancer, causing his judgement to be briefly compromised. However, he still managed to regain control and land the plane. While this may have gotten other pilots grounded, Neil’s ability to maintain his calm under pressure and adjust to the situation made him invaluable. After the death of their daughter, Neil and his wife Janet (Claire Foy) needed a change. Neil applied for NASA’s Gemini project, and the family moved to Florida for their fresh start.
The film then takes viewers through Neil and his fellow astronauts’ training, and the many Gemini and Apollo missions that served as stepping stones, leading up to that iconic and historic Apollo 11 mission. Throughout this period of 8 years, there is also a lot of drama at home.be quite dangerous and deadly, and this takes a toll on the astronauts and their families, who wait nervously on the ground, not knowing the fate of their loved ones. Meanwhile, the loss of his young daughter continuously weighs on Neil’s mind as he struggles to mourn his child.
Overall, I found First Man to be a fascinating film—there were a lot of things about the early space program that I wasn’t aware of, especially how dangerous and deadly it was at times. It is amazing to see the technology these astronauts were able to utilize to somehow make it to the moon and back! When you hear the name Neil Armstrong, you hear about a hero astronaut, and not all of the personal loss and struggles he went through in his life to get to the point of walking on the moon. It’s a really interesting personal story set against a thrilling tale of the race to the moon.
Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy both deliver strong, emotional performances, that really showcase the feelings their real-life counterparts went through as they lost their daughter, saw friends killed in horrific accidents on the job, and explored places no man had been before. They are joined by a myriad of other recognizable actors playing the various astronauts that were also part of the program—either on the ground in mission control, or preparing to head into space.
First Man literally puts the viewer into the driver’s seat. Much of the film is designed to make the audience see and feel what the astronauts did, and make the viewer experience those same feelings of claustrophobia in the cramped quarters of these tiny spaceships. This was really effective in some moments, but a bit jarring in others. Much of the movie is filmed using handheld cameras—I found the shaky-cam to be a bit too aggressive at times. I could understand its use in the scenes where the rockets are firing and the aircraft is shaking or spinning, or when the astronauts are on the multi-axis trainer, as this extra effect enhances the experience for the viewer. However, when characters are simply walking around and the shakiness of the picture starts to make you feel a bit nauseous, something is not right. In another way to give the viewer the P.O.V. of the astronauts, the views from the ships are primarily limited to cameras inside the cockpit and mounted to the outside of the crafts. The filmmakers did not want to have “god” shots of the full spaceships floating in space. This sometimes led to some pretty limited and obstructed views. In one scene the crew is out in space when their ship experiences some turbulence. There’s all this flashing of lights and loud sounds, but you can’t really make out anything on the screen—it’s pretty much a blur. If there was any time when a wide shot would have been useful, this would have been the time. I’m not sure if they were trying to have the viewer experience the confusion of the astronauts, but it just came off as though someone didn’t know how to properly use the camera. Fortunately, this shot was a rarity, and I also stopped noticing the general shakiness of the camera after a while.
Universal’s 4K Ultra HD release looks and sounds amazing. The washed out, paler color tone of the film really evokes the 1960s setting. You really feel like you have been transported back in time to witness these events. This color palette also seems to evolve over the course of the film as the years go by. The blackness of space looks like a true black, without signs of crush, and when the scope of the film opens up with IMAX footage for the moon walk, it yields some truly stunning views. The level of detail to recreate this historic even is amazing. The film’s Dolby Atmos audio track not only provides clear dialogue and nicely showcases the film’s beautiful score, but it is also aggressive in all the right ways. Whether it’s the loud rumble of the jet engines, the disconcerting creaking of an aircraft, or even when things go completely silent, every noise (or lack thereof) comes together marvelously to make you feel the danger and excitement of these space missions.
The 4K Ultra HD release comes packed in standard UHD keepcase with a slipcover, and contains an insert with a code to redeem for a 4K Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film. Both the 4K and the Blu-ray discs contain the same selection of bonus material—2 deleted scenes, a feature commentary, and over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and filmmakers.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:20:59)
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4K Ultra HD:
- 2160p / Widescreen 2.40:1
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, French Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Video Service, French Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 4K Digital copy redeemable via Movies Anywhere
Blu-ray:
Digital (for redemption deadline, see NBCUcodes.com):
Extras:
All bonus material can be found on both the 4K Ultra HD disc and the Blu-ray disc.
- Deleted Scenes (4:17)
Two deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:- House Fire (3:37)
The Armstrongs awake to discover their house is on fire; Neil panics when he can’t find his son Ricky. - Apollo 8 Launch (:37)
Neil watches the launch of the Apollo 8 rocket.
- House Fire (3:37)
- Shooting for the Moon (3:40)
The cast and filmmakers talk about the film, and the fascinating life story of Neil Armstrong. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director/producer Damien Chazelle, screenwriter Josh Singer, and stars Ryan Gosling (“Neil Armstrong”) & Claire Foy (“Janet Armstrong”). - Preparing to Launch (3:39)
The cast and filmmakers talk about making the first feature film that explores the historic Apollo 11 mission and the life of Neil Armstrong. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/producer Damien Chazelle, screenwriter Josh Singer, author/co-producer James R Hansen, producer Wyck Godfrey, and stars Ryan Gosling, Kyle Chandler (“Deke Slayton”), Claire Foy and Jason Clark (“Ed White”). - Giant Leap in One Small Step (4:31)
A heroic character study of the real, humble Neil Armstrong. Includes archival footage, and interviews with Neil Armstrong‘s sons Rick & Mark, director/producer Damien Chazelle, and star Ryan Gosling. - Mission Gone Wrong (2:42)
Behind-the-scenes look at some of the film’s stunt sequences, including Armstrong’s nearly fatal test piloting of the lunar lander training vehicle, and being dragged through the grass. Includes interviews with stunt coordinator Jim Churchman and star Ryan Gosling. - Putting You In the Seat (7:09)
The cast and filmmakers talk about making the audience feel the experience and claustrophobia of the ships but putting them in the pilot’s seat, and giving them the P.O.V. of the astronauts. Also, making use of new technology like an LED wall to help the actors give more authentic performances. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/producer Damien Chazelle, production designer Nathan Crowley, special effects supervisor J.D. Schwalm, and stars Ryan Gosling, Lukas Haas (“Mike Collins”) & Christopher Abbott (“Dave Scott”). - Recreating the Moon Landing (6:01)
The cast and filmmakers talk about recreating the iconic moon landing, through the use of IMAX cameras and painstaking attention to detail. Includes behind-the-scenes and archival footage, and interviews with director/producer Damien Chazelle, director of photography Linus Sandgren, production designer Nathan Crowley, and stars Ryan Gosling & Corey Stoll (“Buzz Aldrin”). - Shooting at NASA (3:11)
The cast and filmmakers talk about their amazing access to authentic locations and vehicles from NASA and the Air Force. Includes behind-the-scenes and interviews with director/producer Damien Chazelle and stars Ryan Gosling, Corey Stoll & Lukas Haas. - Astronaut Training (4:02)
Go behind-the-scenes with the cast as they embark on a three-day boot camp at NASA. Includes interviews with director/producer Damien Chazelle and stars Ryan Gosling, Pablo Schreiber (“James Lovell”), Ethan Embry (“Pete Conrad”), Lukas Haas, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Jason Clarke, Patrick Fugit (“Elliot See”), Cory Michael Smith (“Roger Chaffee”), and Shea Whigham (“Gus Grissom”). - Feature Commentary (2:20:59)
Director Damien Chazelle, screenwriter Josh Singer and editor Tom Cross provide a behind-the-scenes discussion of the making of the film in this interesting and informative commentary. They talk about the use of sound, their research, the filming locations, and how ideas evolved while making the film. They also talk about some of the technical challenges and unique filming techniques, and point out some of the dialogue that came from reports and recordings and some that was made up. Overall, it’s pretty informative, but sometimes the participants get a little too technical with the flight terms.
Final Thoughts:
First Man is a solid film that takes a look at the dangerous and thrilling early NASA space program that led up to putting the first man on the moon. Along the way, it also explores the life of the man who ultimately took those first steps. The film is perhaps a little too long (some of the family drama probably could have been cut), and the camera work is a bit challenging to watch in a few places, but the story of the space program and its early missions is fascinating. Universal’s 4K Ultra HD release provides excellent picture and sound, and includes a nice selection of bonus material, plus a 4K digital copy of the film. The film comes recommended.
