Hey guys and welcome to a brand new review! This time, we will be examining a film that has been getting an immense amount of buzz lately for various reasons. F1 is based around the immensely popular sport whose fanbase has only grown over the years. I would be lying if I said I was an expert on the subject (though friends have given me a crash course on the basics), however that doesn’t make my excitement for this feature any less genuine. I’m a big fan of racing films as I feel the sport naturally lends itself to the medium and can be portrayed in exciting ways depending on the talent behind the camera. And when that talent is Joseph Kosinski, the man who helmed the technical marvel that is Top Gun: Maverick, it’s hard not to be hyped to see what he does with Formula 1 racing. Add in a stacked cast and fantastic trailers and my enthusiasm is furthered! Now that I’ve seen the film, is it a ride worth taking? Let’s jump right in and see how well this race was won!
We follow one Sonny Hayes, a race car driver who used to drive for Formula One and is now just living life as an aging racer-for-hire, yet still has plenty of skill left in him. After one race, who is approached by an old friend in the form of his former teammate, Ruben, who is now the owner of the APXGP F1 team (which has placed last in the season so far) and needs a new driver to fill in a seat. The stakes at play: the team needs to win at least one of the remaining Grand Prixs left in the year, or the investors will sell the team. Hesitant at first, Sonny eventually agrees after some convincing from Ruben and heads off to APXGP headquarters to meet his teammate, the young British rookie, Joshua Pierce, who doesn’t exactly take a liking to this “old timer” showing off. After getting accepted, Hayes and Pierce must learn to try and work together in order to save the team and discover what racing truly means.
There’s something to be said about a film that contains multiple narrative tropes that are familiar and have been done countless times before, yet does what it is going for so well it reminds one why these cliches are popular to begin with. F1 is exactly that. It is a classic underdog story where we follow a down on their luck team trying to achieve something and where we see two generations butting heads while also coming to learn more about each other in the process. Kosinski and screenwriter, Ehren Krueger, do an exceptional job of laying the groundwork in setting up who these characters are, their strengths, their weaknesses, and what is at stake for each of them and properly develops them as the film goes on. That way when the expected pay offs come into play, they are so well earned because the effort is done to make one care about what transpires. Adding to this, what I like a lot is how the film presents the sport of F1 in a manner that feels very accurate (at least from what I’ve seen) and in a way where there is a clear love for that present in the way the rules and mechanics are discussed as it all adds a level of authenticity that apparent in different ways from having call outs fans would get a kick out of as well as having actual F1 drivers involved.
The team based angle to F1 is also utilized nicely from a storytelling perspective as I’m not just invested in Hays and Pierce, but in how the other team members help out such as the pit crews and mechanics and how all of these people come together to try and make something amazing happen and achieve the impossible. There are quite a few themes carried over from Top Gun: Maverick such as two people of generations learning from each other and becoming their best because of it and I quite enjoyed how it was handled here being more nuanced than one would think (i.e. there are times where Sonny’s advice doesn’t always pan out, and neither of them are proven to be perfect and know it alls at what they do). Also found its exploration of what it means to do something one loves and that indescribable feeling one gets which is a huge part of Sonny’s character and why he acts the way he does. All of this is put together nicely in a 2 and a half hour runtime that is not felt in the slightest with every scene being engrossing and a nice mixture of sequences where one can’t catch a breath and some nice breathers that serve to spend time with our characters talking shop.
Among the many fantastic things about Top Gun Maverik, was Kosinski’s ability to shot the aerial combat scenes in a way in which one feels like they are in the cockpit experiencing all of the action first hand. Now imagine that but in a race car and that is the best way to describe the racing scenes in F1 and wow are they jaw dropping. Kosinski and editor, Stephen Mirrione, bring a kinetic energy to these sequences that make taking a breath hard to do as there is always something going on and it succeeds in getting one into the shoes of these racers and the stress and adrenaline they feel moment to moment. They successfully utilize different kinds of exterior and interior shots to create a “you are there” fill in the car races that gives the feeling of going on the most immersive rollercoaster ride ever. There is a great deal of excitement that puts one on the edge of the seat and the use of sound further adds to these parts as we have the car parts and outside environment furthering adding a level of immersion. Seeing this in IMAX was especially a treat that is some of the best use of the format and I just think that the racing in this feature is some of the best I’ve ever seen put to film.
We also get some amazing visuals and cinematography courtesy of Claudio Miranda (who also did Maverick) who does a fantastic job in immersing one into the racing and makes these parts feel so lived in. The whole movie in general is just beautiful to look at with an an excellent use of colors and lighting that successfully capture the mood of a given scene and matches the emotions a certain scene might be trying to convey. The colors pop nicely and I like how even though this is a non fantastical feature, it still looks arresting and is a treat for the eyes with real world locations being portrayed beautifully and the environments being captured well from sun drenched areas to flashy locales to more natural looking places. One can also tell the amount of effort that went into making this as authentic to F1 culture as possible with how it shows off the cars, the events, the race tracks that adds an extra level of detail, also not a surprise considering how much they were able to shoot during the F1 racing season, a sign of maximum effort. I also have to give a huge shout out to Hans Zimmer, whose score is an absolute banger! It’s a catchy and effusive synth sounding composition that perfectly captures the vibe of the film and sport almost being something they would play when telecasting the races. There are also a plethora of original songs made for the film by the likes of Chris Stapleton, Tate McRae, Doja Cat, Ed Sheeran, and more that are nice listens and fit the mood of their given scenes.
Similar to how Cruise’s star power was used to sell Maverick, Brad Pitt is in full on movie star mode here and per usual he succeeds in spades in this kind of role. With his natural charisma, he is able to pull off Sonny’s laidback, yet determined and intelligent attitude with ease, making him into a very likable presence in the process that is easy to root for. Through excellent visual storytelling, we get a perfect sense of who is right from the get go as this loner who yearns for driving to get that experience who loves so much and one can understand where he is coming from and why he acts the way he does. While a benefit for the team, the film is not afraid to portray his flaws as someone who uses that confidence to mask something more personal inside and I like how the film goes about exploring this. His dynamic with Joshua is all the more investing due to this because we are both presented with two individuals who have valid viewpoints in their own way but come to learn a lot from each other despite the initial tumultuousness. Damson Idris is similarly terrific as a charming yet stubborn and reckless rookie who is still learning the tricks of the trade and wants put in the effort to become the best at the sport there is. Him and Pitt have a fun camaraderie where they can both be at each’s other throats for valid reasons, but deep down one can sense a weird sense of respect they have for each other as lovers of their craft and I like the way Joshua learns from Hayes to become better.
Supporting them are a game cast that bring life to their characters no matter how big or small their roles are. The stand out for me is Javier Bardem as Ruben who is a wonderful character and Bardem is perfectly cast as someone who manages to be both level headed and motivational in some parts but completely unsure and stressed out in others (relatable character in this regard). His friendship with Sonny is a highlight of the feature as they give off the vibes of old friends who have their disagreements but still care about one another. Bardem also proves to have excellent comedic timing with some of the best line readings that are very funny and naturally placed in the feature, never feeling forced. Kerry Condon also provides great support as Kate McKenna, APXGP technical director who wants prove herself as the first female technical director in the sport and is very passionate about her work. She makes for a compellingly headstrong character whose eventual romantic relationship with Sonny is well done and the two have some solid chemistry and interesting conversations that can be both amusing but also thoughtful in how they explore the themes of the picture. She’s also someone one wants to see succeed and the fact that there is more of a microscope placed on her due to her gender and her place in this field further makes one want things to go well. Other notable players that I thought served their parts well were Tobias Menzies as Peter, a company board member who represents the slimy business side of things that eventually becomes a key obstacle, Samson Kayo as Joshua’s manager/cousin, Cashman, and Sarah Niles as Bernadette, Joshua’s loving mother. They each offer something interesting and add something to what otherwise could’ve been stock characters. I also appreciated how the team is fleshed out even with limited screentime as the likes of Kim Bodnia, Will Merrick, Abdul Salis, and Callie Cooke get moments and pay offs to shine that makes this team well rounded from a character sense.
On the whole I found F1 to be an exhilarating thrill ride that succeeds immensely at what it is going for. It’s a compelling underdog story that has a lot of heart, handles its themes well, has an authenticity in relation to the sport that I appreciated, is a technical marvel, has astounding racing sequences, is excellently acted, and has strong character work. It has just about everything one would want from a summer blockbuster and brings to mind the kind of big film that used to be more commonplace back in the day. Fans of F1 will find a lot to appreciate (though will likely be understandably pickier about things) but honestly I can recommend this film to just about anyone as it is a perfect crowd-pleaser that I feel is one that needs to be seen in a theater to get the full experience. Kosinski knocks it out of the park again and has now become one of my favorite working directors who in regards to blockbuster entertainment. Heck it even makes me want to get more into the sport of F1 more as it does a nice job being glorified advertising for it (great advertising I may add). It’s one of those films where once it ends I just had this feeling of elation that made me feel that anything is possible, something movies can capture spectacularly! Race on!
Rating: A+
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