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

463 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

Mar 3, 2020

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

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Udita Jhunjhunwala

Livemint

Jul 29, 2019

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.

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Ryan Gilbey

New Statesman

Jan 26, 2019

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.

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JD Duran

InSession Film

Aug 7, 2024

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

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

Jul 14, 2024

3/5

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

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Ryan McQuade

InSession Film

Apr 3, 2024

A

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

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L J

@Cracky Sep 5, 2026

Great movie! Cool how it takes you through the emotions and history.

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Chris S

@Janomi Aug 30, 2026

Damien Chazelle makes space travel feel dangerous, cramped, loud, and physically terrifying. The cockpits shake, metal groans, alarms scream, and every launch feels like men being strapped into a machine that might tear itself apart. That approach strips away some of the usual romanticism and makes the achievement feel more fragile and human. Ryan Gosling's performance as Neil Armstrong is the best thing about the film. He portrays him as controlled, grieving, focused, and emotionally sealed off. The death of Armstrong’s daughter hangs over the entire film, tying the mission to memory, grief, discipline, and emotional restraint. The capsule scenes are intense, and the moon landing is beautifully handled. After so much noise and chaos, the quiet of the lunar surface feels almost spiritual. This reminds me of the way Chazelle balanced the noise of the drums and the calm of grief in Whiplash. Claire Foy has strong moments, but her accent is distracting every time she is on screen.

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Colin B

@RT19830193 Aug 18, 2026

Incredibly dull. Only the ending was enjoyable. Both the director and Ryan Gosling are very talented, but this was a huge miss. I love the space program, I know Neil was very quiet and kept to himself, but this will put the audience to sleep.

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Johannes S

@RT64416087 Aug 18, 2026

Starts off slow, but gives more insight into the life of Neil Armstrong and what he dealt with. Then the third act fully delivers, couldn't take my eyes off the screen.

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Peter J

@RT56025137 Jul 20, 2026

Neil Armstrong was an amazing man. The movie does a great job of highlighting Armstrong's biography "First Man". One big issue with the movie is the director including Gil Scot-Heron's poem. The poem was totally out of place, it would have ruined the movie but it is more important to focus on Armstrong's achievements along with the thousands of people, of ALL races, who contributed to one of the greatest accomplishments of all time.

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Los G

@Losmax Jun 7, 2026

Incredibly dull! I'm sure it looks fantastic on the big screen, but that doesn't translate to the smaller screens and with the absence of any strong narrative, this is a slow, slow ride. It doesn't help in comparison with the dramatic horror of Apollo 13 or the zinging, heroic swagger of The Right Stuff. Ultimately, Ryan Gosling plays a man with no personality - and nails it!

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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

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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
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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