Anya Silver Arts Award - First Man Review

First Man is a biopic about the astronaut, Neil Armstrong who was the first man to walk on the moon. Although the film is always building up to when Armstrong finally sets foot on the moon there is also a lot of back story about the main character’s personal life.

The side of the film about Neil Armstrong’s family life made me feel sorry for him because he had a lot of sadness and worry to deal with.   His daughter, Karen died from cancer when she was only a small child and going into space meant he might die too.  The film shows how Armstrong had to carry this with him and how he managed his emotions by being very serious most of the time.

One of the things that I thought was sad about the film was how we got to see a lot from Armstrong’s point of view, especially when he is either training or in space. Seeing from his view point makes the audience feel how claustrophobic it must be being strapped into a small capsule. One scene that was very effective shows Armstrong in a training session floating down in a parachute. It is all from his point of view looking down at the ground until his descent suddenly picks up speed and the film cuts to a tracking shot of him hurtling towards, and the hitting, the ground really hard.

Another scene that I found memorable is where three other astronauts die in a simulation exercise. The three men are strapped into a dark capsule when a small fire breaks out. The fire grows really quickly and the film cuts to outside the capsule which is a large brightly lit room. It is very shocking because the audience realise the astronauts are dying in the training capsule without actually be shown what’s happening. 

The use of sound is was also very effective. There is silence at the start of the film which begins with the Universal Studio logo and then near the end of the film when the astronauts are in space and when they are on the moon.

At the end of the film you would expect lots more POV shots. There is one as Armstrong steps off the ladder onto the moon, but mostly it is God’s eye shots of Armstrong’s face through his space helmet visor. He cries as he throws his daughter’s bracelet into a crater. I thought it was surprising because you would have expected to see him planting an American flag.

Although the film does feel a bit long at times overall I thought it was a good representation of history because it shows an important historical event in a very personal way.

Anya Silver Arts Award - Venom Review

Venom is an unusual Marvel film because unlike most Marvel films the main character can be seen as much as a villain as a hero.

 In some ways I would say that the idea of Venom isn’t all that original because the idea of a person transforming into a monster is similar to the Hulk. Also, the idea of parasites coming from outer space is a lot like Alien and there is one scene that is copied from Alien. However, I also think Venom is quite original in other ways because when the main character, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is taken over by Venom the two characters are sharing one body and are consistently communicating with each other. The dialogue between Eddie and Venom is very comedic and this comedy undercuts the otherwise dark themes of the film.

The special effects, sound and camera work are all used effectively to create lots of exciting scenes. In one scene Eddie transforms into Venom while surrounded by police. Venom sweeps the police aside and one is hurled through glass and then literally right into the camera! There is also a funny scene where Venom takes over a dog and the audience see Venom’s point of view from low down as though it is through the dog’s eyes.

Although the story, which ends up with basically two Venoms fighting each other, isn’t all that original, I thought some of the characters were well developed. The main villain, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) is manipulative and callous and really deserves his comeuppance.

The film’s San Francisco setting was a good backdrop for the action scenes. However, the big fight on the Golden Gate Bridge would have been better if Spiderman had been involved in some way instead of it being just Eddie’s Venom against Carlton’s Venom. After all, Venom is Spiderman’s enemy in the comic. Maybe they are saving that for the sequel!

Although Venom’s appearance is very scary and a couple of the scenes were quite violent overall I don’t think the film needed to have a 15 certificate. A lot of teenagers who would like to see this film won’t be able to which is a shame as Venom could easily be a 12 A. I’m glad that I am 15 so I could see it and I’m already looking forward to the next Venom movie.