Movies Like First Man (2018)

First Man is a 2018 drama, history film from Damien Chazelle with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with In the Shadow of the Moon and Apollo 11.

Drama History

In the Shadow of the Moon

2007

Archival material from the original NASA film footage – much of it seen for the first time – plus interviews with the surviving astronauts, including Jim Lovell, Dave Scott, John Young, Gene Cernan, Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, Charlie Duke and Harrison Schmitt.

7.6

MagicScore

Apollo 11

2019

A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin.

7.9

MagicScore

Apollo 13

1995

The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.

7.4

MagicScore

For All Mankind

1989

A testament to NASA's Apollo program of the 1960s and '70s. Composed of actual NASA footage of the missions and astronaut interviews, the documentary offers the viewpoint of the individuals who braved the remarkable journey to the moon and back.

7.8

MagicScore

The Right Stuff

1983

At the dawn of the Space Race, seven test pilots set out to become the first American astronauts to enter space. However, the road to making history brings momentous challenges.

7.4

MagicScore

Operation Avalanche

2016

In 1967, four undercover CIA agents were sent to NASA posing as a documentary film crew. What they discovered led to one of the biggest conspiracies in American history.

6.1

MagicScore

Apollo: Missions to the Moon

2019

National Geographic's riveting effort recounts all 12 crewed missions using only archival footage, photos and audio.

7.3

MagicScore

Armstrong

2019

Dramatic, moving and deeply human, ARMSTRONG offers the definitive life story of Neil Armstrong: from his childhood in Ohio to his first steps on the Moon, and beyond.

7.3

MagicScore

Countdown

1967

Desperate to land a man on the moon before Russia does, NASA hastily preps a would-be spaceman for a mission that would leave him alone in a lunar shelter for a year.

5.8

MagicScore

#10

Apollo 13: Survival

2024

Using original footage and interviews, this documentary tells the nail-biting story of Apollo 13 and the struggle to bring its astronauts safely home.

7.2

MagicScore

#11

Marooned

1969

After spending several months in an orbiting lab, three astronauts prepare to return to Earth only to find their de-orbit thrusters won't activate. After initially thinking they might have to abandon them in orbit, NASA decides to launch a daring rescue. Their plans are complicated by a hurricane headed towards the launch site—and a shrinking air supply in the astronauts' capsule.

5.9

MagicScore

#12

The Last Man on the Moon

2016

The 1960s was an extraordinary time for the United States. Unburdened by post-war reparations, Americans were preoccupied with other developments like NASA, the game-changing space programme that put Neil Armstrong on the moon. Yet it was astronauts like Eugene Cernan who paved the uneven, perilous path to lunar exploration. A test pilot who lived to court danger, he was recruited along with 14 other men in a secretive process that saw them become the closest of friends and adversaries. In this intensely competitive environment, Cernan was one of only three men who was sent twice to the moon, with his second trip also being NASA’s final lunar mission. As he looks back at what he loved and lost during the eight years in Houston, an incomparably eventful life emerges into view. Director Mark Craig crafts a quietly epic biography that combines the rare insight of the surviving former astronauts with archival footage and otherworldly moonscapes.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

2001: A Space Odyssey

1968

Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.

8.0

MagicScore

#14

Destination Moon

1950

A team composed of an aerospace scientist, an ex-Air Force general, and an industrialist conceives an ambitious plan to land Americans on the moon. From their base in the Mojave Desert, they construct and successfully launch a spacecraft named "Luna" that contains a cargo of four astronauts. But a critical miscalculation of needed power to escape the moon's gravitational pull may put the astronauts' lives in danger.

5.9

MagicScore

#15

Fly Me to the Moon

2024

Sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones, brought in to fix NASA's public image, wreaks havoc on Apollo 11 launch director Cole Davis' already difficult task of putting a man on the moon. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as backup, and the countdown truly begins.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

Project Hail Mary

2026

Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction.

8.6

MagicScore

#17

Apollo 18

2011

Officially, Apollo 17 was the last manned mission to the moon. But a year later in 1973, three American astronauts were sent on a secret mission to the moon funded by the US Department of Defense. What you are about to see is the actual footage which the astronauts captured on that mission. While NASA denies its authenticity, others say it's the real reason we've never gone back to the moon.

5.3

MagicScore

#18

First Man into Space

1959

The first pilot to leave Earth's atmosphere lands, then vanishes; but something with a craving for blood prowls the countryside...

4.9

MagicScore

#19

Missile to the Moon

1958

Two escaped convicts are found hiding in a rocketship built by a renegade inventor, who forces them to become the crew for a trip to the Moon. Also on board, as inadvertent stowaways, are his assistant and his secretary; and none of them are aware that the inventor is actually a Lunarian explorer sent to Earth by the dying Lunar civilization and the only remaining male member of that civilization.

3.5

MagicScore

#20

Gattaca

1997

Vincent is an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. He is an "In-Valid" who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation.

7.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like First Man?

The top films similar to First Man by MovieMagicScore are In the Shadow of the Moon (7.6), Apollo 11 (7.9), Apollo 13 (7.4). Each shares drama/history themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is First Man worth watching?

First Man holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 5,470 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is First Man?

First Man (2018) is a drama, history film directed by Damien Chazelle, starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke.

Where can I find more recommendations like First Man?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like In the Shadow of the Moon Movies like Apollo 11 Movies like Apollo 13 Movies like For All Mankind Movies like The Right Stuff Movies like Operation Avalanche

About movies like First Man

This ranked list pairs First Man (2018), a drama and history film from Damien Chazelle, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Ryan Gosling take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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