F1: The Movie
3 / 5 | DIRECTOR: JONATHAN KOSINSKI
From the grandstands of Monaco to the seats of movie cinema, F1: The Movie takes a dive into the world of Formula One with the likes of Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, and Kerry Condon. Bringing a mix of racing action and character redemption to our screens the film exposes audiences once more to a beloved sport that is still growing across the world.
Joseph Kosinski who directed the highly praised Top Gun: Maverick along with other notable films in Tron: Legacy and Twisters takes another step into great cinematography with F1: The Movie. Creating a trademark with their efficient use of wide angle camera point of views in intense scenes to bring drama and unique perspectives to viewers.
The movies itself should be taken with a grain of salt when it comes to film accuracy as the main focus is on Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) and his comeback to the sport where it all started for him. It takes viewers on the classic comeback story where the main character Sonny Hayes tries to finish what he started many decades ago. Alongside Jonathan Pearce (Damson Idris) who stars in his breakout movie rule with previous TV Series roles in Snowfall, Black Mirror, and The Twilight Zone. Both characters create a fierce rivalry that turns into friendship by the end of all the twists and turns they face racing for APX GP.
Brad Pitt really knocks his role out the park in turning Sonny Hayes into a wildcard “cowboy” style racer similar to legendary driver James Hunt who also has their own film “Rush” from 2013. He does a great job at becoming a star for being exactly who he is, a risk taker that cares more about getting results than the media attention. At the same time he is trying to mentor a young Jonathan “JP” Pearce into fulfilling his talent with hard work, ethic, and strategy. While trying not to ruin the legacy and team owned by his longtime friend Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem).
The hardest criticism of the film would be the love story between Sonny Hayes & Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) which to many F1 fans might seem as a step backwards. As fans would rather not see love affairs between a driver and a team member. But for the average film viewer it adds another layer of drama to the film for entertainment. Personally I believe the movie would have been better off without it or with it if it had more substance than just two beautiful actors crossing paths temporarily. At the end the movie still holds great insight into what the love life really is for modern Formula 1 racers and staff. Individuals who have to put their career first sometimes and hope that love finds them at some point.
In terms of racing accuracy the movie still does a good job at incorporating important facts and ideas that belong to the sport without overwhelming viewers with technical information. With its limited racing scenes it still showcases what racing really is like as many of the events portrayed in the film have actually happened in real life. Credit has to be given to Producer Lewis Hamilton who most likely was giving a lot of input in the film, being a 7 time world champion and current driver of Scuderia Ferrari.
Overall, the film has a lot of exciting dramatic scenes with a great ending. Joseph Kosinski was able to make a 155 minute film feel shorter than it really was which is credit to him being able to keep viewers engaged and attentive throughout. This is definitely a must watch film regardless if you hold interest in motorsports or not as it is able to draw in both with their mix of racing and entertainment. Hopefully we get to see more films like this in theatre’s along with the great cast in future films but with better plot lines.
