First Man

Overview

Director Damien Chazelle reunites with his La La Land star Ryan Gosling to depict the journey of Neil Armstrong, the first man to the walk on the moon. Armstrong, along with his fellow pilots, including Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll), must work his way through the rigorous space program of the 1960s, sacrificing his personal safety and time with his wife Janet (Claire Foy) and their children to defy death and push the boundaries of human exploration.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/22/2019
UPC:	0191329041529
Original Release:	2018
Source:	Universal Studios
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:21:00
Sales rank:	38,805

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ryan Gosling	Neil Armstrong
Jason Clarke	Edward Higgins White
Claire Foy	Janet Armstrong
Kyle Chandler	Deke Slayton
Corey Stoll	Buzz Aldrin
Ciarán Hinds	Gene Kranz
Christopher Abbott	Dave Scott
Patrick Fugit	Elliott See
Ethan Embry	Pete Conrad
Lukas Haas	Mike Collins
Shea Whigham	Gus Grissom
Pablo Schreiber	Jim Lovell
Olivia Hamilton	Actor
Brian d'Arcy James	Actor
Cory Michael Smith	Actor,Actor
Kris Williams	Actor
Perla Middleton	Actor
Anna Chazelle	Actor
J.D. Evermore	Actor
William Gregory Lee	Actor
Gavin Warren	Actor
Stephanie Turner	Actor
Steve Coulter	Actor
Nelson Bonilla	Actor
Philip Boyd	Actor
Luke Winters	Actor
John David Whalen	Actor
Benjamin Weaver	Actor
Chris Ward	Actor
Mark Armstrong	Actor
James R. Hansen	Dr. Kurt Debus
James R. Hansen-	Actor
Shawn Eric Jones	Actor
Choppy Guillotte	Actor
Leon Bridges	Actor
Tyner Rushing	Actor
Donald Watkins	Actor
Mark Kelly	NBC Reporter #1
Lucy Stafford	Actor
Dustin Lewis	Actor
James T. Schlegel	Actor
Charles Carroll	Actor,Senator
Michael Lee Kimel	Actor
Maria Z. Wilson	Actor
Jamel Chambers	Actor
Brian Mahoney	Actor
Claire Smith	Older Bonnie White
Claire Smithies	Actor
Braydyn Nash Helms	Actor
Skyler Bible	Actor
Kent Wagner	Actor
Josh Royston	Actor
Irina Vanwells	Actor
Forrest Briggs	Actor
Ambrit Millhouse	Actor
Andrea Maria Hintermaier	Actor
Edmund Grant	Actor
Linzy Clifton	Actor
Ethan Stormant	Actor
Joey Thurmond	Actor
Tyler Maples	Actor
Christopher Russell	Actor
Anthony Paolucci	Actor
Rodney J. Hobbs	Actor
Perry Zulu, Jr.	Actor
Milton Saul	Actor
Scott Lomas	Actor
James Dav're	Actor
Aurelien Gaya	Actor
Todd Truley	Actor
Wes Weems	Actor
Deedra Jordan	Actor
Curtis Gammage	Actor
Cecil M. Henry	Actor
James Siderits	Actor
Thomas Strickland	Actor
Brian Alexander	Actor
Tony Morgan	Actor
Adam Christopher Murray	Actor
Maxwell Highsmith	Actor
Carl Horner	Actor
Caroline Davis	Actor,Actor
Joshua Powell	Actor
Greg Puckett	Actor
Martin Feigen	Actor
Robert Hatch	Actor
Callie Brown	Actor
Tim Olcott	Actor
Jonathan Baines	Actor
Andrew Buckman	Actor
Charlotte Parker	Actor
Tim Harper	Actor
Bennett owen	Actor
Mark Kirkman	Actor
Connor Blodgettv	Actor
Chandler Barron	Actor
Brad Kitchen	Actor
Parker Amrani	Actor
Melchor Rosabal	Actor
Nia Hansen	Actor
Justin Hurwitz	Composer

Technical Credits

Josh Singer

Damien Chazelle	Director,Producer
Isaac Klausner	Producer
Wyck Godfrey	Producer
Marty Bowen	Producer
Josh Singer	Screenwriter
Steven Spielberg	Executive Producer,Producer
Adam Merims	Executive Producer,Producer
Russell Hopwood	Special Effects
Robert Brenner	Special Effects
Jeremy Farlow	Special Effects
Barry Hart	Special Effects
Wayne Rowe	Special Effects
Ryan Mari	Stunts
Michael Ortiz	Stunts
Kevin Reid	Stunts
Mary Ellis	Sound Mixer
Francine Maisler	Casting
Ai-Ling Lee	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

First Man is a marvelous and moving portrayal of Neil Armstrong's trek to the moon that highlights the trials and technological challenges surrounding such a historic milestone while also examining the man behind the suit. Though director Damien Chazelle is best known for music-filled films, like Whiplash and La La Land, he succeeds in bringing one the most pivotal and emotive moments in US history to life. The movie centers on Armstrong's (Ryan Gosling) journey from NASA astronaut to space explorer, examining the difficulties he faces both at work and home. Early on, one of the most heartbreaking sequences is introduced: Armstrong and his wife Janet (Claire Foy) coping with the death of their young daughter, Karen. He later faces the loss of three close colleagues who perish during a preflight test. Gosling's Armstrong is stoic, quiet, and he carries his pain with him throughout the story, which makes the moment he finally steps onto the moon that much more momentous. One of the best parts is Claire Foy's Janet, Armstrong's strong-willed and outspoken wife. Her character is loving and supportive, but frequently calls both her husband and the NASA team into question for their disregard of the plights faced by families of astronauts. The intricacies in the Armstrongs' relationship touch a nerve, bringing a sense of humanity and relatability to the film. From a cinematography perspective, there are a few instances that can be distracting to the audience. Chazelle utilizes extreme close-ups of Gosling's face to emphasize the claustrophobic feeling that astronauts likely felt under the circumstances, heightening the tension. However, he also constantly uses motion camera techniques to showcase the chaos and danger, almost to a fault. Anyone in the audience that suffers from motion sickness will likely find this difficult to watch. Furthermore, it is distracting enough to take viewers out of the story. Despite these issues, the movie does bring audiences closer to the marvel that was the first walk on the moon. While other representations of this moment can focus entirely on the technical details that went into the process, First Man instead chooses to showcase that Armstrong was just an average person, bringing a truly raw and human side to the story. The only thing between him and the vast emptiness of space was a metal contraption, built by equally flawed humans.