Rent Armstrong (2019)

Nothing Really New Here - Armstrong review by CP Customer

Moderately interesting but there was little here that hadn't been covered in the two BBC documentaries on Armstrong - Christopher Riley's "Neil Armstrong - First Man on the Moon" and Andrew Smith's "Being Neil Armstrong".

For me, the most revealing contributions were Chris Kraft's observations on Buzz Aldrin. “I didn’t dislike Aldrin. Didn’t like him either."

Interesting but not insightful - Armstrong review by Other Worlds

It can't be easy making a documentary about a man as emotionally controlled and as taciturn as Neil Armstrong but David Fairhead makes a creditable attempt.

A notable absence from the movie is Buzz Aldrin , the only actual witness to the Armstrongs most famous moment and either he was not asked or chose not to involve himself ? Very odd and a real weakness in the documentary.

The film is mostly made up of interviews with people who knew him personally and professionaly; what film there is of Armstrong talking is composed entirely of non-candid moments speaking to the press etc.

The family movies are mildly intersting , not informative particularly ( they are silent ) and Harrison Ford reads from some of Armstrongs private writings , presumably made available by the family, and they helpful in providing some insight into the man. Insights that he never voiced to camera himself. I did wonder how open the family were at providing access to all his writings however. There is,if not a suggestion of hagiography , then definately a very selective history on display.

No reference at all , for example, is made of the allegation of medical malpractice made by the family against the hospital where Armstrong died .

In the end if you are interested in the man , then you would be better off i.m.o watching Damien Chazelle's movie 'First Man' a completely different genre , drama vs documentary ,but really I think you need the drama to give the guy a, fully deserved, 3rd dimension.

50 Years On, Still Interesting. - Armstrong review by BG

As it's 5 decades since the first moon landing, there has been a lot of coverage, including films like First Man, Apollo 11, documentaries on TV, and now Armstrong, which focuses on the man himself. No matter how much I watch about this historic event, I am always filled with a sense of wonder, and in this film I still discovered facts that I didn't know...or had forgotten. It's impossible to capture the true essence of one man's life in 100 minutes, but that doesn't mean that the film fails in giving you interesting facts about one of the most famous men in history.