First Man is the latest blockbuster to be released from director Damien Chazelle who some may recognize as the director of other movies such as La La Land and Whiplash. This movie focuses on Neil Armstrong (portrayed by Ryan Gosling) as he goes from pilot to the first man to walk on the moon. Whereas other movies, such as 1995’s Apollo 13, focused more on being in space this movie focuses more on what it took to get Armstrong into space. This film is very slow, clocking in at just around the two hour and thirty minute mark. Some may see this as a turn off, but it’s that slow burn that makes the final act of the movie just so rewarding. Throughout the movie, we see Armstrong at his highest and lowest points; we see him suffer loss and death, but we also see him having fun with his friends. We can relate with Armstrong: we can cry and laugh with him. The reason we empathize with him so well is due to Gosling’s oscar-worthy portrayal of the character. Gosling shows us that, while being such a big name in American history, he’s just like us. Gosling isn’t the only great acting in this movie: Claire Voy, Jason Clarke and Kyle Chandler were all great supporting characters. Another high point of the film would be the movie’s incredible musical score by Justin Hurwitz (who has done the score on Chazelle’s previous films). It’s somber but also feels very mysterious and encourages feelings of exploration and adventure. I would strongly recommend anyone to see this movie because of the great cast and the musical score. I give this movie a 9/10. It would’ve been perfect if not for the pacing of the movie being a little slow.