A Formula One driver comes out of retirement to mentor and team up with a younger driver.
‘F1: The Movie’ is the latest blockbuster attempt from Apple, bolstered by the direct involvement of Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, and the direction of Joseph Kosinski, who recently helmed the critical and commercial smash hit ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. It is a big, brash and loud movie that sets out to entertain, and entertain it does, regardless of how silly and far fetched it can be at times, and it deserves praise for being that rarest of things – a summer blockbuster that isn’t a sequel, a spinoff or a reboot.
The premise of the movie is fairly simple – a veteran driver (Brad Pitt) comes out of retirement to help an old friend’s new Formula 1 team, clashing with the team’s rookie driver (Damson Idris) and spicing up the team’s attempts to win their first ever F1 race. There is some background noise surrounding the team’s owner (Javier Bardem, as suave as ever) potentially losing the team if he can’t get a win on the board, but all of this is window dressing to allow for some terrific, propulsive car racing sequences, which certainly get the heartbeat racing! Brad Pitt is effortlessly charismatic and Damson Idris is a good foil as the cocky, altogether more serious rookie, and the action on the track provides enough drama to keep you invested in the story.
The writers are inventive in coming up with ways to prevent all the races following a similar approach (a large reason I’ve never got into F1!) , even if that means straying into the realms of make believe. The decision to film a lot of the action during actual F1 races lends it a greater degree of authenticity than it would otherwise have got, and that makes up for some of the less appealing elements, such as commentary that doesn’t match up with the action half the time. I also don’t think I’ve seen a movie with as much product placement, but when the whole concept is basically a big advertisement for Formula 1, should I really have expected anything else?
‘F1: The Movie’ is a big, daft, entertaining summer blockbuster and I thought it was terrific fun – suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride.
Rating: 4/5
Directed By: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies and Javier Bardem
'I have a purpose. If you think that it's some kind of blessing it's not. It means I have an obligation to see a very specific thing through.' Marty Supreme (2025) 