It wasn’t going to take much to build hype for a Ryan Gosling led biopic of Neil Armstrong directed by the prodigious Damien Chazelle (La La Land), and after the release of a second trailer and an almighty buzz following the film’s world premiere at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, it seems that the reunited La La Land duo could be headed for the Oscars once again.
The aptly titled First Man promises not only to give the audience a deeper insight into the sacrifices and family life of the first man to walk on the moon (whether you believe it was faked or not), but contain technically dazzling sequences featuring the Gemini 8 and Apollo 11 flights. Just from the two and a half minute trailer there are numerous stunning shots on display, a clear indication that Chazelle’s directorial talents far exceed just making films of a musical nature.
Following on from the likes of Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar in terms of being able to effectively visually capture something as awe-striking as space travel is no mean feat, and the initial buzz following the film’s premiere suggests that Chazelle appears to have followed suit in providing jaw-dropping visuals. The cinematographic achievements seen just in the trailer combine effortlessly with an epic, omnipresent Justin Hurwitz score. Equally, Gosling’s Armstrong singing an almost eerie nursery rhyme set with the backdrop of family struggles and sacrifice only ceases to highlight the astronomical importance of the Apollo mission and the immense pressure and scrutiny Armstrong was under.
https://slate.com/culture/2018/08/the-first-reviews-of-first-man.html
Whilst a majority of the buzz coming out of Venice has revolved around Chazelle’s directorial achievements and praise for Gosling’s ‘intensely contained’ and ‘self-effacing’ performance as Armstrong, many other plaudits are said to go to Claire Foy, portraying Armstrong’s wife Janet. It appears she acts as a counterweight to Gosling’s introverted performance, unsurprising given her obvious talents and commanding presence in the trailer. Further impressive casting on display in the trailer is evident in Kyle Chandler and the often underused Corey Stoll, who plays Armstrong’s famous companion Buzz Aldrin. Chazelle has clearly not just opted for a simplistic, space set film, but one that often will remain grounded and explore the human side of such a historically important and well known story.
From the trailer alone it feels as if once again Chazelle has produced nothing short of a masterclass in directing, supported by a phenomenally talented cast who only cease to raise the film to further critical acclaim. Whilst the story is already one of great fame, once the film is released on October 12th it feels as if the audience are going to get a whole new perspective on mankind’s greatest adventure.
Words by Elliott Jones