Viewed – 29 September 2020 Netflix

I have never really known that much about the true story that lead to landing on the moon. Other than the names Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin being cemented in my brain from a young age. This fascinating drama tells the story from the perspective of Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) offering a very personal angle, focusing on his own tragedies and his relationship with his wife (The Crown’s Clare Foy), with the Astronort mission(s) almost background.

Considering the aim of landing on the moon became an egotistical race against Russia to be the first, I was surprised with the lack of that usual American patriotism and vitriol, especially in the final act, leading to a rather downer ending. Also the eventual moon landing is a bit under-played, fitting with the more sombre tone of the rest of the movie – but by that moment it should have felt epic.

Gosling is great, one his best performances I’d say and carries the movie well. Foy doesn’t fair quite as well, awkwardly trying to shake her Queen Elizabeth accent for an upper class American one. Also considering his status in history, Buzz Aldrin is simply ‘there’ with very little focus. The movie kind of portrays the man as a bit of a joke too. Yet the impending dread of each mission, the clear insane danger of it all, and the attention to authentic detail has to be applauded. Worth a watch but not quite all it could have been.

Verdict: Good