First Man

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1:51

First Man

PG-13

2018

2h 21m

Biography

History

Drama

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

464 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Hoping to reach the moon by the end of the decade, NASA plans a series of extremely dangerous, unprecedented missions in the early 1960s. Engineer Neil Armstrong joins the space program, spending years in training and risking his life during test flights. On July 16, 1969, the nation and world watch in wonder as Armstrong and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins embark on the historic Apollo 11 spaceflight.

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Critics Consensus

First Man uses a personal focus to fuel a look back at a pivotal moment in human history - and takes audiences on a soaring dramatic journey along the way.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Damien Chazelle is an enthusiastic, visually expressive filmmaker with practically nothing of interest to say about the human experience.

Mar 3, 2020

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Udita Jhunjhunwala

Livemint

First Man doesn't just dwell on its subject's achievements. It takes a beat to glance into Armstrong's personal motivations and vulnerabilities while using technical mastery to tell an engrossing true-life story.

Jul 29, 2019

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Ryan Gilbey

New Statesman

In those sequences when Armstrong is heading for the stars, the approach is so immersive on a sensory level -- cacophonous sound design, juddering cinematography verging on the abstract -- that it almost compensates for the void at the film's core.

Jan 26, 2019

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JD Duran

InSession Film

First Man is extravagant filmmaking it every way. The craft is sharp. The story is surprising. The emotion is real.

Aug 7, 2024

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

Subsequently, we also see how Armstrong looks to the moon for escapism. Behind First Man is a captivating look at grief.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 14, 2024

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Ryan McQuade

InSession Film

The cinematography in the film is fantastic and for his first film not about music, Chazelle gets the best score of any of his films from composer Justin Hurwitz, one that might just be my favorite score of the year so far

Rated: A

Apr 3, 2024

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Madam D

Boring plot. Or maybe Armstrong was that much of a typical male of his time who was unable to express emotions. Other than being the 1st to step foot on the moon, who cares about his boring personal life?

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/12/25

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Steve J

Ruined opportunity to show the greatest adventure of all time. You make a movie with a personal focus when the subject matter isn’t high concept. You don’t take the most important achievement of humanity and strip away all the important elements that made it happen to focus on one person’s sad struggle. I’m pissed that another Apollo 11 will probably not be made in my lifetime because this boring piece of crap was made instead.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/01/25

Full Review

Chris F

This could’ve been great if it focused on the mission and public perception of the moon landing instead of dragging through family drama. The film feels depressing. It tries to paint Neil as a family man, but knowing he was emotionally distant, divorced, and remarried quickly, that angle rings hollow and even despicable. Using his daughter’s death for forced emotional weight only made me dislike him more. That’s no excuse to be “emotionally distant” from your wife for two decades. Overall, not a bad film, but definitely flawed.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/22/25

Full Review

Frans B

Epic movie and story. Incredible work by Damien Chazelle bringing this to screen. Ryan Gosling excellent and convincing in Neil Armstrong character, whole cast excels in character. Great cinematography and visually stunning. If anything with wings fascinates you, you will love this. The challenges that had to be overcome, sacrifices that had to be made and very hard decisions are all portrayed with feeling and some realism. Gripping, exciting, adventurous, eventful and captivating. Highly recommended

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/08/25

Full Review

Hao Ian L

The biggest highlight here, rather, is Chazelle shedding light on the factors that often go unnoticed in this major historical achievement, the sacrifices made, the consequences of failure, and all the little personal intricacies that drive the motivations and dangers behind this mission. First Man is more an intimate, hyper-realistic portrait of sacrifice and the lonely cost of greatness than it is a conventional space movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/09/25

Full Review

Brian H

This is an unwatchable move in line with with the unwatchability of Marie Antoinette (2006)

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

Full Review

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Damien Chazelle

Director

Ryan Gosling

Neil Armstrong

Claire Foy

Janet Armstrong

Jason Clarke

Ed White

Kyle Chandler

Deke Slayton

Corey Stoll

Buzz Aldrin

First Man: Official Clip - The Eagle Has Landed

4:48

First Man: Official Clip - Test Flight Crash

1:41

First Man: Official Clip - Telling The Kids

2:51

First Man: Official Clip - Landing the Test Plane

5:00

First Man: Official Clip - The Bracelet

2:51

First Man: Official Clip - Astronaut Training

3:08

First Man: Official Clip - What Are Your Chances?

2:51

First Man: Official Clip - We Have Liftoff

5:00

First Man: Official Clip - Out of Control

4:32

First Man: Official Clip - One Small Step For Man

4:14

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Synopsis

Hoping to reach the moon by the end of the decade, NASA plans a series of extremely dangerous, unprecedented missions in the early 1960s. Engineer Neil Armstrong joins the space program, spending years in training and risking his life during test flights. On July 16, 1969, the nation and world watch in wonder as Armstrong and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins embark on the historic Apollo 11 spaceflight.

Director: Damien Chazelle
Producer: Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner, Damien Chazelle
Screenwriter: Josh Singer
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Temple Hill Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Peril|Brief Strong Language|Some Thematic Content)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 8, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.8M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, DTS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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