F1 Review

 

F1, or as it's been marketed F1: The Movie, is a sports drama that's produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Apple Studios, Plan B Entertainment, Monolith Pictures, and Dawn Apollo Films with Warner Bros. Pictures and Apple Original Films both distributing. Joseph Kosinski directed while Ehren Kruger wrote the screenplay. Making it the second time these two collaborated with the first being the hugely successful Top Gun: Maverick.

The story is, in the 90's Sonny Hayes was a promising Formula 1 until serve injuries in the 1993 Spanish Grand Prix ended all of that. Thirty years later, the owner of a struggling F1 team convinces Sonny to come back to racing and become the best in the world. With all of the hotshot rookies just as determined to reach that spot, Sonny quickly learns this road towards redemption isn't gonna be an easy one.

Initial Reaction

At first I was excited because it seems as of late racing movies are becoming a winning formula for Hollywood. First there was the incredible Ford v Ferrari back in 2019 and then back in 2023 there was the surprisingly good Gran Turismo. So I had fingers crossed that this one would be no different. Then when I found out it was being directed and written by the guys that made the AWESOME Top Gun: Maverick I got even more excited. So I was going into this movie with some very high expectations.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

Now this movie and Gran Turismo share one similarly. That being pacing. Racing scenes are fast pace and exciting, with character dynamics also maintaining momentum. But we got moments where some fat could've been cut. One example being the blossoming romance between Sonny and Kate. Yeah it's a fine subplot but it didn't need to be has lengthy as it was.

Pros

Let's start off with the story. Yes, it's familiar to the sports genre, we're seen the veteran butt heads with the hotshot rookie before, yada yada yada. But like I said with Gran Turismo (wow that's twice now I've made a comparison between these two.) it's about execution. And F1 has good execution. I actually invested in Sonny's story. I actually wanted to watch his redemption from beginning to end. I was also invested in the company Sonny's working for that being APXGP and how they're struggling. The reasons why these stories despite familiar beats worked is because Ehren Kruger brought heart amidst all of the racing drama. Speaking of racing let's dive into what's probably the real reason why people went to see this that being well the racing. Let me start off with Joseph Kosinski did an amazing job with the flying in Top Gun: Maverick and despite being a different vehicle and being on the ground, he did a fantastic job with the racing. The racing is a blast! Because of Joseph's usage of an iPhone-based on board system we also feel like we're in the driver's seat, which in return brings up the intensity. It was a visceral experience and I loved every moment. And combined with Hans Zimmer's score brought up the adrenaline even more. The last bit of praise goes to Brad Pitt and Damson Idris' performance. Brad was great. He brought his usual charisma to Sonny and in doing so made the character an enjoyable focal point. Then there was Damson. I'll be honest this is the first time I've seen him in anything. I know he had a main role in FX's Snowfall, but I never watched that show. So I went in with him totally blind, and what I witnessed from him didn't disappoint. His character can be as charismatic as Sonny albeit a lot more cocky. But Damson was amazing with hidden the character's vulnerability. Then there's moments where these two share the screen and are really good. Their chemistry together helped push the rivalry between Sonny and Joshua (that's Damson's character by the way) and also kept the narrative grounded.

F1 isn't perfect but it is worth checking out. Whether you're an Formula 1 fan or not this is a fun one to see in theaters.

My final rating is, Good.

Well that's gonna close out the month of June. Due come back on Thursday, Jul 3rd for the final part of my Road to Superman (2025) with my review of the comic book storyline, Superman: The Warworld Saga. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.