June 30, 2025 · Watch the official trailer
Fast cars can make up for a lot of flaws in cinema.
The more risk involved, the heightened dramatic tension that doesn't have to be crafted by a screenwriter nor really even a director.
There's a fascination with people willing to put their lives on the line to prove that they're the best, cramming themselves in tiny high-octane machines and throwing caution to the wind.
Director Joseph Kosinski, best known for his massively popular nostalgia sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” returns to the world of daring feats in expensive machines with a film exploring the dramatic highs and lows at triple digit speeds of formula one racing.
His film, simply titled “F1: The Movie,” has the endorsement of the entire racing community with its stars spending an inordinate amount of time behind the wheel in real cars at real tracks hoping to bring a sense of authenticity to the biggest screens possible.
Without question, “F1” should be seen in its IMAX intended format for the numerous sprawling and intense action sequences carefully crafted by Kosinski and his team, though oversaturated editing meant to heighten the tension often pulls viewers out of the driver seat one too many times and the over formulaic nature of the script leaves little doubt where the eventual hairpin turns will go.
“F1” stars Brad Pitt as a relatively washed-up former formula one driver called back to the track more than a decade after his career was nearly cut short early to help bring a underperforming racing team its first points in the standings.
While the story itself is relatively withered and middling, there's a reason why filmmakers cast a performer like Pitt in blockbuster films like these. Pitt brings a gravitas to his role as Sonny in ways that feel both very cavalier and strident evoking more rebellious moments of Pitt’s filmography with an almost pensive and reflective wistfulness in quieter scenes that reflect both the wear and tear on Sonny's physical and emotional state.
There’s layers to the role that also seem to sense similar weariness as the veteran character actor begins to wind into the third act of his career; there's almost a one last ride motif to “F1” that doesn't quite land in quite the same way that Tom Cruise's returned to the cockpit in Kosinski's “Top Gun: Maverick” did years prior though Pitt is overwhelmingly convincing as exhausted rebel and erstwhile mentor.
Casting Javier Bardem as Sonny's former rival turned ally who brings him back to the big time is an inspired choice as it allows Pitt to playfully yet purposefully spar with another star with similar gravitas and their kinship is unquestionably the most underutilized dramatic relationship in the film.
Newcomer Damson Idris makes quality strides as young hot shot racer Joshua Pearce, who brings spunk and vibrancy but is clearly outclassed by Pitt’s magnetism, which makes it hard to get behind the younger actor's character at all.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” star Kerry Condon works well in a role that is clearly meant to be something beyond a simple love interest for Sonny in a film incredibly less interested in character development outside of its singular lead that doesn't really give much credence to her talents.
The cinematography of “F1,” expertly shot by director of photography Claudio Miranda, provides the grand bravado and theatricality of formula one racing with a dynamic cinematic experience. Using technology created by Kosinski and his team originally to mount cameras on fighter jets for “Maverick,” “F1” takes audiences closer than they’ve ever been before to the intensity of racing from a first-person perspective.
Small cameras rotating 360 degrees allow viewers to rush back and forth between the driver’s POV and the constantly changing emotions they express while at high speeds. Knowing that Pitt and Idris are on the track in harrowing conditions while simultaneously blending an acting performance with genuine fear and exhilaration amplifies the authenticity of the experience.
Moviegoers will need to take advantage of any opportunity to see “F1: The Movie” on a premium format, preferably IMAX, to have the most immersive experience possible as repeat home viewings can never come close to the thrills and chills one might get being on the edge of their theater seats for two hours.
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