F1 The Movie Review: An Exhilarating Underdog Tale That Puts You On the Race Track

The world of F1 finally comes to the big screen as both director Joseph Kosinski and actor Brad Pitt come together to bring this sport to film for an audience. The result with F1 The Movie is an entertaining ride that puts us in the driver’s seat in this competitive race to the finish line.

Just as he did with Top Gun: Maverick in fighter jets, Kosinski applies the same film style to F1 vehicles, allowing audiences to experience what the driver sees through different camera angles. This sports drama invites you into the F1 circuit from start to finish in the eyes of Brad Pitt’s character, Sonny Hayes. It is a classic underdog story that is told many times, but it does its job of fitting into the competitive world of F1 racing.

F1 The Movie follows aging race car driver Sonny Hayes, who has traveled everywhere to compete in various racing competitions. Despite being on the verge of retirement, Sonny is looking for a way back into his main passion of racing through F1 and reclaiming the opportunity to win after a freak accident made him quit the competition many years ago.

A change of a lifetime is given to him when a former teammate, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), presents him with a spot on his racing team APXGP to help put them on top after struggling to get there.

Initially hesitant, Sonny takes up this opportunity and must relearn the ropes to get back into shape. He crosses paths with a younger driver on the team, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who doesn’t seem to think Sonny has what it takes to be at his level, being an old-timer. With everything stacked against him with APXGP on the verge of closing shop, Sonny does what he can to prove everyone wrong and that there is still some drive in him to compete and possibly win.

This story of a former race car driver trying to get back into the game is a sports tale that is familiar, but it works for F1. Brad gives it his all through his performance, and we see a lot of growth and determination in his character. His interactions with his team also drive him to become the best, serving as a reminder that it’s the team that makes the sport, not just the driver.

This is in contrast to Damson’s character, who is all in it for the fame, which puts him at odds with Sonny at times. We also see him struggle to stay with the team, knowing that if APXGP doesn’t win, his career might be short-lived. However, we see some evolution in Joshua as he later learns from Sonny about what it means to be part of a team, and it’s not all about being in the spotlight.

It is the relationship between Sonny and Joshua that helps push this film narratively. We start to see both of them as rivals, where they bump heads as they go against each other on the track. Once it passes the point of having an old dog versus an experienced younger driver, they start to figure out who they are, both on and off the track. It soon evolves into a mentorship as they both learn a great deal from each other.

Claudio Miranda reteams with Kosinski to help shoot F1 The Movie and continues to prove his incredible prowess behind the camera. There are so many great shots of the race track as audiences are thrust into the world of F1 racing. Seeing both Brad and Damson in the driver’s seat through their eyes is an amazing feat that just connects us to them, not just physically but emotionally as well.

There’s so much to unravel when the story goes outside the sport when we see the personal aspects of these characters and what they’re going through. Javier’s character knows that this is his final shot to put his team in the forefront of victory, and we see the struggles he faces when going up against shareholders who threaten to sell off his dream if it doesn’t work out. Even Kerry Condon, who plays the APXGP technical director Kate McKenna trying to help the team in a world where there aren’t many women in the field.

The soundtrack to F1 The Movie delivers a marvelous score that blends orchestra with electronic music. Composer Hans Zimmer finds a way to conduct the score that matches the speed of this racing world, which works like his other projects. With artists like Doja Cat, Tate McRae, and Ed Sheeran, it offers a contemporary sound that meets the standards of the modern F1 environment.

The exposition is done in the film as it helps audiences who are unfamiliar with the sport understand all the technical terms of F1. Fans of the popular sport will be able to connect with what’s happening on screen and would be impressed to know how much homework was done to keep the movie accurate to what an actual racing competition would be like.

Even having cameos of various racers from the F1 world helps bring the atmosphere of this environment to life as if you’re watching an actual race taking place.

F1 The Movie delivers exactly what audiences want in a sports film like this, where they can see all the action while feeling connected with these characters. It may feel like a formulaic story where an old athlete must start from the bottom to get to the top, but it is necessary for a film like this. Thanks to the incredible performances by Brad and the cast, F1 The Movie is a movie that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

F1 The Movie is now playing in theaters.

 

 

Follow us on X and on Instagram!
Like us on Facebook!

Learn more about Eulalie Magazine here.