It may be early in his career, but Damien Chazelle may just end up, for better or worse, being the most famous director of his generation. His last two films have been nominated for a combined 19 Academy Awards. If the trailer for his latest film, First Man, is any indication, that number will only continue to grow. Obviously, if the title didn’t give it away, the story follows Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) in the months leading up to a moment etched in history.
There is absolutely no doubt, from a technical and talent level, that First Man looks fantastic. That said, there is this weird feeling of “been there, done that.” Which is an utter, but understandable shame. When taking into account the last 20 years though, there’s been a wealth of films to cover similar ground. Specifically Apollo 13 and The Right Stuff. Thankfully Chazelle and a cast that include Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler, Ciaran Hinds, Pablo Schreiber and the great Shea Wigham as Guss Grissom. That’s enough of a draw to give the film the benefit of a doubt.
Of course, in the few hours since the trailer landed online, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The response? Well, it got a three minute standing ovation. So, chances are it’s rather good. While festivals are notorious for their inflation when it comes to how “great” a film is, Chazelle’s short track record has us leaning towards this being the real deal. We’ll all be able to judge for ourself soon enough. First Man releases as far as the eye can see, starting on October 12th.
