First Man: An Impressive Trailer, But…
Article by Ray Schillaci
Just happened to catch the 2nd trailer release of director and Oscar winner, Damien Chazelle’s newest movie, First Man. Yes, the writer/director that, to some, graced us (and others, cursed us) with LA LA Land and blessed us with Whiplash. The screenwriter, Josh Singer is no slouch with credits like The Post, Spotlight, and the ever-popular series, The West Wing. Bring to the forefront Ryan Gosling as the intrepid astronaut, Neil Armstrong and composer Justin Hurwitz (Whiplash, LA LA Land) with a dynamic film score, and this has the promise of Oscar bait written all over it.
Or, does it? My question is, how can it possibly live up to the expectations of being anywhere near as good as one of the greatest stories ever told about astronauts, Philip Kaufman’s historical epic, The Right Stuff? That film was based from Tom Wolfe’s best-selling 1979 novel that chronicled the life of the Army, Navy, and Marine test pilots in aeronautical research at Edwards Air Force Base, and those who eventually became the Mercury Seven, the very first astronauts.
I had no interest at the time of the release of Kaufman’s film. But, when it was showered with nominations I had to see what it was all about. Immediately, I was taken by the almost “gee-whiz” sci-fi pop feel. Imagine the late ‘40s and early ‘50s and seeing a rocket for the first time. There’s a wonderful innocence in Kaufman’s film and all the future astronauts and war hero Captain Chuck Yeager. They are a grizzled bunch with very real flaws that face insurmountable odds. That is what makes Kaufman’s film so watchable.
The trailer for Chazelle’s film seems to place astronaut Neil Armstrong on a pedestal. Coming off like a mythic folk hero. There’s the requisite every man shots displaying him as the caring father and husband, the odds against you scenes showing us what could go wrong, and the conflict between family and making history. In fact, the trailer practically takes a nod to Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. The only problem with that is, Nolan’s film was a boring disappointment with all its visual flash.
I guess my qualm may be if the film does not wildly exceed in quality compared to The Right Stuff, then why go down that disappointing road? I felt the same way after seeing the monumental 1981 German submarine adventure, Das Boot. Very few films of that type could even come close with only James Cameron’s The Abyss and Tony Scott’s Crimson Tide nearly reaching the suspense meter.
The First Man 2nd trailer is a bit of an improvement on the first, but it does echo an amalgamation of other great historical epics. I’m sure that was the purpose. But, is that enough to get people away from their streaming devices and back into the theaters for other than a Marvel, Pixar or Disney movie? Come to think of it, they’re practically all under the same corporate umbrella.
I loved Chazelle’s second film, Whiplash. I thought it was as close as to perfection a film could be. Many of you already know my feelings for LA LA Land. I could not help but feel that instead of a homage it was more of a hodgepodge of better musicals. I can only hope that in October, Chazelle proves to regain his footing and his voice with First Man, and can present us with something that feels fresh and unique.
