“The First Man” is worth all the buzz it is receiving.  The movie shows that films about space exploration can be personal as well as adventurous. The drama is directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong. This is a reunion of the two, as they previously were together for the Academy Award-winning film, “La La Land.”

The movie takes place in the 1960’s when America was losing in the race to space to the Russians, so a lot of pressure was put on NASA.  Much of the American public questioned if it was worth the millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars to send astronauts into space.  “First Man” does a stellar job of paying homage to the sacrifice put into getting a man on the moon. It shows viewers that astronauts like Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll) were not the first options for the trip to the moon, but had to be ready as many astronauts lost their life in the 8-year process.

“The First Man” also movingly depicts Armstrong overcoming family struggles to become the first man to walk on the moon.  Throughout the movie, Armstrong suffers tragedy in the death of a family member and the death of friends.  These events help Gosling shine, as they show just how the loss in Armstrong’s life motivated him to succeed. Claire Foy plays Armstrong’s wife and delivers a strong performance. The two have very good screen chemistry and both understated their characters in certain scenes, which made those scenes very emotional.

The cinematography of “First Man” is different than other space based movies.  Normally, cinematographers will tend to focus on making space look endless, while in this movie, the emphasis is  making the trip to space dangerous with camera shots that can almost make viewers nauseous.  The way the cinematographer is able to capture the fragile nature of the rocket is amazing. The camera work shows how much we take the modern, or safe space crafts for granted. It truly is one of a kind in the way space travel was filmed in this motion picture.

The 138-minute movie may seem lengthy at points, but is an overall interesting story. “The First Man” may be the best in theaters right now due to it’s blend of personal touch and adventure.  The film may not be the typical action movie that teens would love to see, but it can show viewers that Neil Armstrong was a very different person then they may have realized.

Grade A-