First Man Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

6. It's Surprisingly Emotional

Though the awe of the Moon landing is a quasi-spiritual experience in of itself, the story of Armstrong's arc throughout the movie is surprisingly affecting despite the man's obviously guarded personality.

It'd be crass to call the death of Armstrong's daughter in the movie's first 10 minutes a spoiler, but it's a heart-rending, scarcely lingered-on sequence which quietly informs the rest of the movie, paying off with a devastating, heartfelt gesture in the final minutes of the film.

That's not to forget the many engineers whose lives are lost over the course of the preparations for Apollo 11, clearly creating a huge emotional burden for Armstrong, albeit one he tries to conceal as much as possible.

Simply, don't be too surprised if you're wiping tears away by the time the end credits roll.