{"id":18317,"date":"2018-10-12T22:33:48","date_gmt":"2018-10-12T14:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/review-first-man-and-the-first-focus-on-the-moon-on-mars-and-on-families\/"},"modified":"2018-10-12T22:33:48","modified_gmt":"2018-10-12T14:33:48","slug":"review-first-man-and-the-first-focus-on-the-moon-on-mars-and-on-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/review-first-man-and-the-first-focus-on-the-moon-on-mars-and-on-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: \u2018First Man\u2019 and \u2018The First\u2019 focus on the moon, on Mars \u2026 and on families"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ryan Gosling plays the role of NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong in \u201cFirst Man.\u201d (Universal Pictures Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two big-name dramatic productions \u2014 \u201cFirst Man\u201d in theaters, and \u201cThe First\u201d on Hulu \u2014 are putting the glorious past and potentially glorious future of space exploration on big and small screens.<\/p>\n

But if you\u2019re expecting the Ryan Gosling movie about Neil Armstrong, or the Sean Penn streaming-video series about the first mission to Mars, to tell a geeky off-world tale like \u201cThe Martian\u201d \u2026 expect to be surprised.<\/p>\n

Sure, there are plenty of edge-of-the-seat moments, especially in \u201cFirst Man.\u201d Neil Armstrong cheated death at least four times: during a harrowing X-15 test flight in 1962, his head-spinning Gemini 8 space mission in 1966, his ejection from a plunging lunar lander simulator known as the \u201cFlying Bedstead\u201d in 1968, and his last-minute moon landing in 1969.<\/p>\n

All those moments get screen time in a movie that\u2019s based on James R. Hansen\u2019s authorized biography of Armstrong. So does the Apollo 1 fire of 1967, which dealt a heavy blow to the space program as well as to Armstrong. And the end of the movie delivers CGI-enhanced lunar vistas that are literally out of this world. Have no doubt: Space geeks will be over the moon.<\/p>\n

But \u201cFirst Man\u201d packs its biggest emotional punch in the relationships between Armstrong and his family. Or should that be \u201cfamilies\u201d? For Armstrong, whose emotional life often seemed an enigma, the connections to his NASA family were arguably as strong as the connections to his wife, his two sons and the infant daughter he lost to cancer.<\/p>\n

The release of \u201cFirst Man\u201d is eerily timely in light of this week\u2019s aborted launch of a Russian Soyuz craft to the International Space Station. The close call experienced by NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin echoed Armstrong\u2019s close call \u2014 and the photos of those astronauts being hugged by their families afterward brought the same sense of catharsis that you get watching the most suspenseful moments of \u201cFirst Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this regard, \u201cThe First\u201d complements \u201cFirst Man.\u201d The Hulu series\u2019 eight-episode first season, about a privately backed Mars mission in the 2030s, is totally fictional. But the story arc, focusing on the choices that a veteran space commander (played by Penn) has to make between his mission and his family, rings true to life.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ngl2W_VLp1o<\/p>\n

\u201cThe First\u201d focuses even more sharply than \u201cFirst Man\u201d on the big questions surrounding human spaceflight, and arguably surrounding all exploration: Why would anyone take on a risky voyage, knowing that a bad outcome will cripple the loved ones left behind? What kind of mindset does it take to make that choice? And when an explorer chooses the frontier over family, what does that do to the family?<\/p>\n

In \u201cThe First,\u201d Penn lets the emotions show in his portrayal of a Mars mission commander who has to deal with his wife\u2019s suicide and his daughter\u2019s troubles. But Gosling has the tougher mission in \u201cFirst Man\u201d: to portray Neil Armstrong\u2019s outwardly, sometimes frustratingly dispassionate demeanor, while letting flashes of deep emotion break through in private moments.<\/p>\n

Those moments were so private that not even Armstrong\u2019s biographer could nail them down completely. Three of Gosling\u2019s strongest scenes were crafted by screenwriter Josh Singer, based only on what James Hansen surmised about Armstrong while doing research for the book. (Spoiler alert: For the details, check out this Bustle interview with Singer.)<\/p>\n

Even though \u201cFirst Man\u201d and \u201cThe First\u201d are about missions to space, both the movie and the video series spend most of their time on earthly matters. \u201cThe First\u201d barely gets its crew out of Earth orbit by the end of the first season\u2019s final episode, and Armstrong doesn\u2019t take his one small step onto the moon\u2019s surface until the last 10 minutes of a 141-minute movie.<\/p>\n