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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
Delineating the life of the first person to visit our planets’ natural satellite, “First Man,” serves to highlight not only the incredible journey Neil Armstrong (along with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins) embarked on almost a half century ago, but also illustrates just how remarkable space travel is.
“First Man” is chalked full of recognizable faces, and while they all do excellent jobs at portraying their respective characters - most noticeably Claire Foy, who definitely has to employ the most emotional range as Janet, the distraught wife of a man whose head is up in - or rather above - the clouds.
However, as great as the performances were, what’s stuck with me weeks after watching this film is the way in which director Damien Chazelle employs the use of imagery and sound to illicit a slew of emotions; whether it’s the anxiety that came from close-up shots of bolts and screws - letting us know that, while designed to travel into the depths of space, this ship was still made of the simplest of materials; or the serenity that came from the peaceful moments drifting through the silence of outer space. And then there are the moments when he employs the use of slow-motion extended shots - such as when the Apollo 11 fires from the ground. That moment alone rivaled Rick’s slow moving ramp in Season 2, episode 6 of “Rick and Morty” - both in terms of length and d**ks getting hard. Seriously though, Chazelle has a genuine knack for cinematography and it has me very interested in seeing more of his work.
Another aspect of this movie that I enjoyed was how it made me feel about space exploration. Traveling through the cosmos has become so normalized in today’s science fiction movies and shows that its made us forget just how mystifying the idea leaving our world to explore other heavenly bodies can be. This movie makes the simple act of ascending deep into our atmosphere, to traverse its outer layers, seem irresistibly fascinating. And, what makes it all the more incredible is that this all took place close to half a century ago.
All in all, “First Man,” manages to tell a story about a great man, but it doesn’t bother to stop there, as I’m sure this will be a film that will inspire many to follow in Armstrong’s (literal) footsteps and yet again take another giant leap for mankind.
My rating: 9/10
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