How Service Members and Veterans Can See 'First Man' for Free

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(Universal Pictures)

Fact: "First Man" is one of the very best movies of the year and an awesome depiction of the dangers and accomplishments of the United States space program. The movie focuses on the life and career of Neil Armstrong, using his experiences in the space program to tell NASA's story.

Universal Pictures and Regal Cinemas want U.S. veterans and active-duty servicemembers to see the movie, so they're making 14,000 tickets available for free at more than 500 Regal locations nationwide.

Here's how it works: Each of the first 25 service members or veterans (per location) with valid, government-issued ID who request a ticket will be given free admission to the 7:00 p.m. preview screening (or first show) on Thursday, October 11. You can find the participating theaters at this link: www.firstmanforservicemembers.com.

There are more USA flags in the movie than you could possibly count and director Damien Chazelle effectively portrays the pressures created by the Cold War and our space race with the USSR.

Neil Armstrong's sons Mark and Rick were invovled in the production of the movie and they're very happy with the result and want the military community to see "First Man.

'"During his career as a Naval aviator, our dad flew 78 combat missions in the Korean War. The friendships he forged during those critical years remained deeply important to him all of his days.  Freedom -- much like landing on the moon -- is an achievement that is hard fought and hard won, and it cannot be accomplished without the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform and their loved ones.   We’d like to join Universal and Regal in thanking all our current and past veterans, as well as their families, for their brave service to this great nation."

Ryan Gosling stars as Neil Armstrong and there are great performances from Corey Stoll (Buzz Aldrin), Jason Clarke (Ed White), Shea Whigham (Gus Grissom), Pablo Schreiber (Jim Lovell), Kyle Chandler (Deke Slayton), Ethan Embry (Pete Conrad), Lukas Haas (Mike Collins), Christopher Abbott (Dave Scott) and, especially, Patrick Fugit (Elliott See). Claire Foy gives an outstanding performance as Neil Armstrong's wife Janet, a part that couldn't be more different than her upcoming turn as Lisbeth Salander in "The Girl in the Spider's Web."

See it. Decide for yourself.

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