Sean McBride, The Movie Guy

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“F1: The Movie”

Apple TV Films

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

Starring Brad Pitt, Kerry Condon, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem and Tobias Menzies

Rated PG-13

 

3 ½ Stars

 

I’m not a fan of Formula One racing. I don’t know how the rules work and haven’t ever watched a race. But I am a fan of exciting sports movies, which means that I was blown away by the new summer Blockbuster, “F1: The Movie.”

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the same man who helmed “Top Gun: Maverick,” this story focuses on a washed-out race car driver named Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt). He is approached by an old friend (Javier Bardem) who is looking for a driver who will shake up his Formula One race team.

They are in last place for the season, despite having a promising young driver in the lead car (Damson Idris). Sonny has a lot of experience and plenty of bravado, and the hope is that personality alone will be enough to motivate the team.

That doesn’t happen—well. at least not for a while. Sonny shows up and clashes with the other drivers, as well as the chief engineer/mechanic (Kerry Condon). So much for bringing in a new driver to save the season.

“F1: The Movie” is a bit strange in that it takes a long time for the team improve. The first half of the movie is focused on the dysfunctional racers and how they repeatedly snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. Yet despite having to wait for the feel-good turnaround, I found myself invested in every frame of this movie.

I credit that engagement to two elements in particular.

First among many is Brad Pitt. The man puts his movie star charisma on the line here and it absolutely pays off. As one of the characters in the movie says, “that is one handsome man,” and I will certainly agree (not really a hot take). But Pitt is more than just handsome, he is so likable that it’s easy to cheer for him, and by extension, his Formula One teammates.

The second element comes from Claudio Miranda’s amazing camera work. It would be easy to fill this movie with a lot of shaky camera work and quick cuts. Miranda is too good for those simple tricks. His camera races along the track alongside the cars. His lensing makes the details of each race absolutely clear, and he does so at full velocity so as not to diminish the excitement.

On a similar note, credit the sound design of this movie. It’s loud, which should be expected given the subject matter here, but it takes the exciting race sequences up another gear.

If it’s not already obvious, the sound and the visuals make this the perfect movie to see in the IMAX format.

The rest of the movie is fine, but not nearly as impressive. The acting is uniformly solid. The film’s feel-good moments kick in nicely for the finale. There are moments of genuine suspense and even a little bit of romance. This is a movie that gets all of the interior elements right, and then truly excels with the stunning race sequences.

F1: The Movie” didn’t turn me into a fan of these races in real life, but I was nevertheless invested in the competition for the entire length of this film. This is impressive blockbuster filmmaking from a team of talented professionals. Who would have guessed that movie mockingly described as “Brad Pitt Goes Vroom Vroom” would turn out to be so much fun. 

 

Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published each week in The Port Arthur News and the Orange Leader. Sean welcomes your comments via email at sean@seanthemovieguy.com You can get more of Sean’s reviews by subscribing to the 2 Movie Guys podcast.