Film Review: ‘First Man’ sends us over the moon           

The strength of this authentic and robust biopic on Neil Armstrong comes not so much from its hard-as-nails nose-to-the-ground depiction of the mission to the moon as from the tender affectionate depiction of Armstrong's family life.

Armstrong's relationship with his wife provides a strong backbone to the mission that changed the way mankind looked at the moon. That Armstrong's wife is played by the  exceptionally talented Claire Foy is providential for the wife's character but not such a happy happening for Ryan Gosling who plays Armstrong with a wilful earnestness. Unfortunately for him, Foy chews Gosling up in every scene that they are together which is quite often.

Rigorously researched, the narrative occasionally halts to admire its technical knowledge of the first mission to the moon. This would not have been a detriment  if  the detailing had been more interesting.

There is very moving subplot about Armstrong and his little dead daughter that needed to get a movie of its own. For now we have this biopic about the man who first walked on the moon . It doesn't quite make us want to do the moonwalk the way we wanted to when the same leading man and director collaborated for the musical La La Land.

At the end of the mission the press reporters rush towards Mrs Armstrong to ask how she feels about the mission.

“Out of this world,” she quips.

Not quite, lady.