First ManDirector: Damien ChazelleStars: Ryan Gosling, Claire Fox, Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler, Christopher Abbott and Patrick FugitScreening: at IMAX and Village.Rating: ★★★½

By SALONEE MISTRY

First Man successfully recreates the magic director Damien Chazelle and Ryan Gosling  brought to La La Land.

Based on James R Hansen’s book on Neil Armstrong, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, the film showcases not only Armstrong’s achievements, but the emotions he and his family experienced along the way.

Watching the film allows viewers to relive, or experience for the first time, the moment a man first stepped on the moon.

The film uses close-ups to make the audience feel part of the action and to make the characters more relatable in a way that other films fail to do.

While visual elements of the movie are extremely powerful, the soundtrack, although a great one, falls short in matching it.

While most are familiar with the story this film tells, it is still worth a watch as it takes you beyond the storyline and into what Armstrong and his family went through in their decade-long journey to his major achievement.

The film explores the experiences of Armstrong’s wife Janet (Claire Foy) and shows how difficult it was to be waiting on Earth while her husband was in the Apollo spacecraft.

Foy’s acting allows you to relate to the emotions that the family might have felt, painting a highly realistic picture for the viewers.

Ryan Gosling, who plays Neil Armstrong, gives a strong performance of a passion-filled astronaut caught up in a whirlwind of emotions.