F1 The Movie review: ‘The return of the summer blockbuster”

Despite my personal issues with F1, Kosinski manages to bring life into a mundane sport.

I find F1 horrendously boring, so it was hard to imagine a film about F1 cars going around the same track for over 70 laps would be interesting. And having the word ‘movie’ in the title has never instilled confidence. This year's A Minecraft Movie is enough of an indication of this.

It seemed like it was made solely for enjoyment of the die hard F1 fans. Which cleary worked as majority if my cinema was decked head to toe in the gear of their favourite F1 team.

But one thing is for sure, in the hands of Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, you are at least gonna be hooked on the direction of the racing. 

And hooked I was.

They don't pull any punches, they make these races which usually bore me to death on an F1 Sunday, some of the most engaging action from the year. Much to the distaste of F1 purists, I imagine.

On the surface level, it doesn’t deviate too much to the eye. It still has all the current active racers, the same tracks they loop around every year and all the F1 jargon associated with it, but once they get on the track, it is a completely different game.

The driving had to be drastic, it was the only way Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) has a chance to save his F1 team from being taken from him.

His car - which is dubbed ‘a shit box’ - is not enough to compete, his team is in disarray and his rookie Joshua Pearce’s (Damson Idris) ego is in the way of turning his clear talent into success.

As a last throw of the dice, he turns to his grumpy friend and former F1 prodigy Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), who after a near-fatal crash decades prior now travels the US in a van going from race to race to make a living. 

His racing is dangerous and his methods are unconventional but it may be what the team needs to be saved. As time runs out they need to just win one race out of nine to save the team.

When you take everything into consideration, this film shouldn’t work. Even outside of how unrealistic the F1 aspect of it all is.

It is riddled with clichés and is very formulaic for the most part, which I imagine you would have guessed after reading the plot.

Hayes is very jarring for the majority. It doesn’t make sense that he is still able to compete at the highest level even though he hasn't raced in F1 for three decades. The slither of humanity which is poised throughout is just about enough for you to forgive his constant ‘I know better than you’ attitude.

Damson Idris, as great as he is in this film, also feels somewhat underutilised. I can’t help but feel that if he was our centre protagonist, it could have been more compelling. 

The same goes for Kerry Condon who is wasted as Pitt’s love interest. It’s a shame to reserve her character as such for most of the film, because her being the first female technician is a much more interesting direction than just being in love with Sonny Hayes.

Yet, despite all the clear issues, it still achieves what it sets out to do, thanks to Kosinski.

The race scenes are fantastic. He continues to make immersing you in these intense battles insanely easy. You feel so close to the action, you're half expecting some of the debris from one of Hayes' many crashes to hit you.

Each overtake and setback is felt. Without even realising, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat every time you see the racers take their positions.

It is clear that they prioritised the theatrics over the realism and it is all the better for it. 

It may be too much silliness for F1 fans to see past, (I completely get it, I feel the same about Ted Lasso don’t worry) but the brilliance of Kosinski’s work will be enough for you to forget about the lack of substance in the story.

It deserves to be seen on the big screen. Kosinski seems determined to bring back the big summer blockbuster, one motor vehicle at a time. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️