Film Preview: First Man (2018)

Page Revisions:

(Jun. 10, 2018) Original
(September 2, 2018) New Trailer (#2) / New Posters (#2-#4)
(September 23, 2018) New Trailer (#3) / New Posters (#5-#6)

Release Date:

October 12, 2018

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.”

Poster Rating: C+ / C / C- / C+ / C+ / B

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) It’s surprising just how much action movement the design has in spite of being only a headshot of Ryan Gosling in a space suit. That’s a lot of mileage, but not truly exciting mileage.

(#2) The film and the subject are lifting off, but is that sufficient to sell a film? Probably not. (#3) A rather dull spacesuit does not make for enticing viewing. (#4) Similar to the first poster, this one instead uses the moon as a framing device as well as a helmet visor. It’s an interesting concept.

(#5) A very simplistic design that definitely gets its point across, but not much else. (#6) Not dissimilar to the other designs, this one has a nice pop of color that makes it starkly noticeable, which is what you need to do in a sea of near-identical posters.

Trailer Rating: B- / B+ / B+

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) There are elements here that seem most thrilling, but there are some elements that don’t seem exciting enough. The drama at the core of the film isn’t terribly appealing in spite of it being based on actual events.

(#2) The first trailer lacked that edge of excitement that should accompany a film about the first man to walk on the moon. However, the second trailer much better captures that essence and reminds one positively of films like Apollo 13 and other space adventures.

(#3) As exciting as the prior trailer, these trailers have done a fine job using music and other elements, in this trailer’s case, Kennedy’s speech about the space race, to make the film feel both timely and historically compelling.

Oscar Prospects:

Damien Chazelle has two prior films and two prior Oscar winners on his hands. He even has an award for Best Directing. That celebrity, combined with the setting and story of the film should make this one of the year’s major Oscar players.