Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

First Man 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Mourning to moon.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 13, 2019

First Man is not only a dramatic recreation of the lead-up to man's first steps taken on the moon but also, and more prominently, an exploration of the man who took those steps. Director Damien Chazelle's (La La Land, Whiplash) film is not a grand epic of space travel, not a film concerned with detailing every last morsel of information in the technical build-up to Apollo 11's mission to the moon. It is instead a thorough, intimate portrait of a man who carried tragedy and heartache through his career as an astronaut, who balanced inner pain and vulnerability with a more rigid and focused outer façade. Though Armstrong was driven to the moon by thrust, fuel, and physics, it was his perseverance that ultimately allowed him to take that small step off the ship and the giant leap required to overcome unspeakable pain.

While Chazelle and screenplay Writer Josh Singer build the story of NASA's successes and failures in the years leading to Apollo 11's historic mission to the moon, the pair, working from the source biography by James R. Hansen, maintain a tight, intimate, and emotional focus on Astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), a grieving father who, at film's start, loses his two-year-old daughter Emma to brain cancer. Armstrong finds some solace in his commitment to his work, which ultimately leads him to the Apollo 11 mission and the distinction of walking on the moon before any other man. The mission's dangers strain his relationship with his wife Janet (Claire Foy) who fears that her family may suffer another, and irrecoverable, loss, spurred on by previous close calls on Armstrong's mission on Gemini 8 and the deaths of several astronauts and family friends on Apollo 1.

Considering the film explores one of the most widely known moments in human history, it's safe to say in the otherwise should-be spoiler free sanctuary and hallowed halls of film review etiquette that Apollo 11's mission to the moon is ultimately a success, with the pod landing safely and Armstrong taking that first step onto the surface. Chazelle presents it with an awe-inspiring realism that makes the moment -- now approaching half a century since it happened -- feel as if it's just happened before the viewer's eyes, balancing between scenes of transportation to the lunar surface with the astronauts working in the shuttle while still keeping the focus squarely on Armstrong's emotional state. Character clarity on the moon, even behind a golden reflective visor, is precise. Even without the benefit of peering into Armstrong's eyes in every Lunar shot, as the film often does in the time leading up to the moon walk, Chazelle and Gosling manage to convey deep, sincere, plainly apparent character intimacy that at once conveys feelings of accomplishment, wonder, and grandeur for the mission's success and personal triumph but also the contrasting and conflicting emotions of loss that have not carried Armstrong to this destination but that have certainly accompanied him there, shaped his journey beyond the strict number crunching and technological challenges. The scene ends with an emotional release that ultimately defines what the movie is all about.

Gosling's ability to carry his emotional burdens and maintain a professional, steely, matter-of-fact front is incredible. The movie as Chazelle and Singer have shaped it absolutely depends on presenting Armstrong within the context of a duality between professional astronaut and grieving father. The film's center is found in his emotional state, that delicate balance that challenges Gosling to develop the character between two extremes -- sorrow and response to the spectacular -- for the duration. The film is often framed tightly on him, and various jerky, shaky-cam scenes within planes and space capsules seem to reflect not just the realities of high risk flying and space travel but also the tumultuous emotions within the character. The performance is of award quality, as is that delivered by Claire Foy, portraying Armstrong's wife whose personal challenge may even be greater, dealing with grief in her own way, without the "escape" of Armstrong's necessarily complex and dangerous work, which only intensifies her own struggles as a wife, mother, and mourner.

First Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

First Man was primarily shot on film, much of it 16mm, and finished at 2K. This upscaled UHD with Dolby Vision color grading offers a slightly solidified, more prominently filmic presentation compared to the Blu-ray, which is excellent. The image is a little more inherently soft than some films. The UHD does not magically make any scenes sharper, per se, but it does create a finer filmic presentation, with more natural grain and slightly greater clarity to the base elements. The UHD's benefits are evident from the opening sequences, with Armstrong punching a jet through Earth's atmosphere and into space. The picture is nothing short of beautiful, appearing, it would seem, about as close to filmmaker vision and source integrity as possible. Nevertheless, image clarity and raw textural intimacies are not greatly improved over the Blu-ray here, or elsewhere. Scene and still comparisons do not show significant boosts to either, but the UHD does find a mild uptick in object definition and detail and it handles grain a little better, presenting a firmer, more organic field than the Blu-ray, though even here the differences are less dramatic than they are on many other UHD releases.

The Dolby Vision color grading offers a modest stabilization and improvement, yielding superior, brighter, and more stable and accurate whites, including NASA lab coats, white dress shirts in mission control, fluorescent lighting, and text on the screen. A shot at the 40:26 mark is a good example, where also some of the colder steely blues and grays present with subtle improvements to saturation and color density. There's a mild improvement to flesh tone presentation and a mild improvement to black level depth. Those in search of a picture that is a major departure from the Blu-ray will not find it. The UHD's improvements are subtle, but arguably critical, in elevating the filmed elements to a slightly higher plane where modestly improved textures, image clarity, grain refinement, and color accuracy can make a small difference in isolation but a more pronounced improvement in total.

First Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Atmos track engages immediately during a test flight sequence. Exceptional detailing encircles the listener in the sonic form of rattles, rumbles, the pilot's heavy breathing, and engine hum underneath it all. It's a chaotic cacophony that gives way to momentary peace when the test plane reaches the space above the Earth's atmosphere, only to regain an intensity as the plane finally makes a return to Earth. It really encapsulates the entire track. Big, pronounced, detailed, discrete, and harmoniously jumbled sounds draw the listener into space capsules and training modules with strikingly efficient, loud, and balanced intensity. As Gemini 8 prepares for launch, the creaks and moans creep in from all over the stage, effortlessly transporting the listener into the pre-launch capsule, while take-off and ascent offer a revelatory sense of rise, depth, heft, and movement as the ship approaches and crosses the atmosphere. Overhead channels are generally folded in rather than used for individually discrete effects, helping to create a more thoroughly convincing sound design which is critical to shaping several of the movie's most dramatically intense scenes. Light atmospheric supports gently envelop the listener in a few scenes, dialogue clarity and positioning are seamless, and musical fidelity, front and surround spacing, and balanced low end depth are also track hallmarks but nothing comes close to the several reference quality scenes involving upward or downward thrust and rattle. This is a demonstration-worthy soundtrack from Dolby and Universal.

First Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

First Man's UHD release contains deleted scenes, several featurettes, and an audio commentary track. A Blu-ray copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Deleted Scenes (2160p/SDR): Included are House Fire (3:37) and Apollo 8 Launch (0:37).
• Shooting for the Moon (2160p/SDR, 3:40): Damien Chazelle discusses coming on board as director, what drew him to the material, casting Ryan Gosling, and Armstrong's character arc.
• Preparing to Launch (2160p/SDR 3:39): Cast and crew are surprised that Armstrong was, prior to this film, a relatively unknown hero and their desire to unearth the man who left Earth for the moon.
• Giant Leap in One Small Step (2160p/SDR 4:31): Another piece focusing on Armstrong the man and his family life and the film's commitment to portraying him rather than just the event for which he is known. It also covers his humbleness and what made him a hero, even if he did not consider himself as such.
• Mission Gone Wrong (2160p/SDR 2:42): A quick look at dangerous stuntwork seen in the film.
• Putting You in the Seat (2160p/SDR 7:09): An interesting discussion of the film's visual and aural style and the value it added to shaping the film's story. The piece also covers the LED wall technology used in the film.
• Recreating the Moon Landing (2160p/SDR, 6:01): This piece explores both making the sequence and telling the real stories behind it, both the lead-up to the landing and the first step on the moon. It also explores shooting locations, photography, recreating the lander, and more.
• Shooting at NASA (2160p/SDR 3:11): The benefits and excitement of shooting in real NASA locations and integrating real historical materials in the film.
• Astronaut Training (2160p/SDR 4:02): A quick look at how the actors prepared for their roles using real NASA technologies in real NASA locations.
• Audio Commentary: Director Damien Chazelle, Screenwriter Josh Singer, and Editor Tim Cross offer a well versed track that expands on much of what the previous supplements introduced as well as exploring more of the technical details behind the film, both as it was made and how it recreates the real events depicted therein.

First Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

First Man does not tell the story of a journey into space but rather a journey into a man's soul. This is an exceptionally well made and emotionally pulling film that rarely finds a stumbling block. It's brilliantly directed and photographed, exceptionally well performed, and the picture's ability to find a tonal balance between epic scale historical and astral awe and intimate character depth is striking. First Man is one of 2018's best films. Universal's UHD is terrific, featuring exceptional picture and sound qualities paired with a healthy allotment of bonus content. First Man earns my highest recommendation.