The director of Top Gun: Maverick and Tron: Legacy, gives us his vision of Formula 1 racing. Will this movie bring F1 racing to the forefront for non-fans or only hit right for the core fans of the sport?
Plot Points: (Spoilers)
Sonny Hayes is an older veteran racecar driver. After crashing out in Formula racing when he was young and a rookie, he now is a hired gun in the racing community when someone needs a racer. He is living in van when he doesn’t have a race he needs to be at.
Ruben Cervantes is an old friend and former teammate of Hayes. Cervantes is now the owner of the APXGP Formula 1 team but they are in trouble. The team needs a new driver half way through the season and haven’t yet scored a point. Cervantes finds Hayes and eventually strong arms him into joining the team that has a young phenom rookie, Joshua Pearce (played by Damson Idris).
Kate McKenna is the first female Technical Director in Formula 1 racing and is on the APXGP Formula 1. Her job is to use tech to help update the design of the car. With the help of Sonny, she is able to design a winning car type.
Hayes and Pearce have to learn to be a team to have a chance at winning. If they don’t Cervantes will have to sell the team. Pearce, as a rookie, may not get another chance at this.
What I liked:
To quote the original Top Gun, “I feel the need. The need for Speed.” This movie has the feel of Top Gun: Maverick but for racing instead of fighter pilots. There is a ton of fun speed and action throughout the movie.
This is a feel good movie. The characters are likeable but are not perfect. The characters all work on themselves through this film and come together in the end when it matters the most.
The racing scenes are really KOOL. They show the ins and outs of racing. The pit crew and the team leaders make the movie really compelling.
What I Disliked:
The story lacks a lot of depth. It is a story that we have all seen before. It is the unlikely heroes coming of age and finding a way to win in the end. The Bad News Bears, Joe’s Gym from Dodgeball, and even The Dirty Dozen are examples from this.
Review:
This is a fun popcorn movie. Formula 1 fans will love this film. It is worth going to see in the theater.
It was weird seeing Brad Pitt as the old veteran. It seems like just yesterday that he was the young kid in the movies.
My Grade: B
IMDB: 7.9
Rotten Tomatoes- Audience: 97%
Rotten Tomatoes- Critics: 83%
Metacritic: 68%
