F1: The Movie

F1: The Movie is an exhilarating fast paced motorsport film that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the moment it begins, to the moment it ends. There is so much good to say about this film, considering it took many years to complete and release, they did a very good job in capturing the world of Formula One Racing.

Visuals, Cinematography and practical work: The way this film captures every sequence in a grand fashion is Joseph Kosinski masterpiece, just like Top Gun: Maverick, Joseph really is at his best, every scene looks gorgeous, if its on the track, capturing the intense and close nature of the Formula One cars, fearing the danger and sitting close to the screen to see if one driver will make that crucial overtake or crash out in brutal fashion. Off the track too, he captures the landscapes of each paddock and country that they visit, and really immerses you into the world of Formula One, seeing all the behind the scenes of what would usually happen with some great set pieces. The rotation of the cameras mid race is so unique and just added to the drama, the fact that you can film the cars and capture the landscape while it looks so gorgeous is a creative marvel. The fact that Brad and Damson actually drove these cars is Tom Cruise level of dedication that can only be replicated by very few, it really adds to the spectacle of this film. Most of the race sequences had me hold my breath throughout, both the race when Damson crashes and the Abu Dhabi finale had me hooked, the sequence where Sonny enters his flow state was insane. I love the backstory of Sonny, racing with the best racers of all time and his Teammate being Rueben is very cool. The romance arc was nice too but it was quite unnecessary as it doesn’t go anywhere, but the chemistry between the actors made it better. 

Storyline and Acting: The story is strong in this, A struggling team look to do whatever it takes to stay afloat in Formula One, they look at the only driver who’s career ended short due to injury circumstances, and now it’s egos vs egos with Brad’s Sonny vs Damson’s Joshua on who will be the lead driver, and how will they coexist to keep the team alive. Of course they come to their senses and work together but not without Kate helping them realise what is at stake. You get to see the growth of both men working together despite what they believe. Each Character has a great arc. Kate wants to be the most successful women’s technician and prove everyone wrong, Sonny wants to prove to himself that he can still do it and win a race, while overcoming his traumatic past injuries in the sport. Joshua wants to prove that he can stay in formula one and be a successful driver, and Rueben wants to believe in his past teammate Sonny to keep the team going after being in financial debt. I think it is quite cliche and not very unique, but it is very realistic to real life F1 rivalries and you do get hooked into the story very easily. The standouts in this Fast Paced sports flick has to be of course Brad Pitt who plays the “Rough and Tumble Cowboy” who is nonchalant with everything, doesn’t show too much emotion and wants to get the job done so well, he isn’t over the top but when he gets rowdy, he doesn’t hold back, especially when arguing with Joshua. Damson Idris is strong in this too, showing his range, being the cocky, arrogant and immature driver who wants to prove Sonny that he is better than him. He plays the smug and insensitive character well, but towards the end you can see that his range is good, as he becomes compassionate and quite concerned for the team. Kerry Condon is great in this too of course and so is Javier Bardem who fits the owner of an F1 team so well. 

Sound, Music and Dialogue: The sound in this film was electric, captured in IMAX and after viewing it on the big screen in an early preview I can say that it is clearly one of the best parts of this film. To hear the roar of an F1 car and feel the seats shake was immense, genuinely a one in a lifetime experience for me. Hans Zimmers score of course really emphasises the grandiose of the the sport, and as fantastic as it is, I do think it didn’t feel like it fit with F1, maybe that’s just me with a little nitpick but I feel like it didn’t fit the vibe. My last negative on this film is with the script, the actors do their best with what they have, and every line of dialogue is strongly said, however some of the lines are very cringy and are unnecessary. There are plenty of funny lines in the script but the ad-lib and moments where they had to cheer or watch on in the race felt so forced. 

The Vibe of F1: As a Formula One fan I can gladly say that what you see in the film is very realistic and would happen in real life. The dramas in the paddock, between drivers and pit crew would happen in real life. They captured the handling of the cars perfectly, getting the terminology correct such and under and over steering, locking up into turns and hitting the racing line perfectly. The cars placements on the track were accurate and the over taking and crashes were absolutely realistic too. Even having Crofty and Brundle commentating added to the film. Seeing the real drivers and team principals made it feel like this could have actually been based on a true story. 

I think this film was a blast and Apple have finally made a Summer Blockbuster that will be worth rewatching to have a great time. It has its downs of course and isn’t my film of the year, but I loved every second of it depsite its limited flaws

Final Review: 4/5 or 8/10