First Man

In a story about the moon landing, it's the moon that's supposed to be lifeless. Here, it's Ryan goslings performance that's a bit sterile. That may or may not be a fair assessment, because Neil Armstrong, for all of his fame, was not much of a public figure after he walked on the moon. Perhaps Gosling has the man perfectly pegged with his reserved portrayal. And, as with other Space Race films, you are reminded of what a colossal achievement the program was back in its day. It's nothing short of astounding what NASA achieved in the '60s, both in engineering missions into space and creating new perspectives for the human race in the process. This film is a good reminder of that legacy, and should be viewed for that even with its flaws. (The worst of those flaws is the decision to film everything in the execrable "shakycam" mode, even for the quietest and most intimate moments. Memo to all directors: put your damn narcissism aside and let your story hold our attention, not your presence with the camera.)