At the outset, F1 was already a hard film to review. Similar to Ezra Miller, the longtime actor Brad Pitt’s personal life has become a conflicting topic, especially since his family life hit the news. At the same time, F1 director Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick is one of the best action films of the last decade. Despite all the Ezra Miller controversy, The Flash is a movie that this writer did not mind defending. A movie is a bigger machine of creative voices, and it’s unfair to dismiss all those voices because of the personal baggage of one star. Unfortunately, F1 was a movie that this reviewer was ready to love, but this did not become a reality.
F1 is a movie that tries to hit every cliche to achieve a positive score. The racing scenes and cinematography are undeniably stellar, but the story itself feels like a combination of blockbuster cliches pulling from different films to get the best possible outcome in a test screening. The irony is that it feels like a movie produced on the same numerical algorithm as the one designed by Jonah Hill’s character from Moneyball.
What is F1: The Movie about?
Directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger, the film centers on Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a former F1 racer with an overly familiar “Maverick” type personality. He is the racer who hates following orders and possesses a hotshot demeanor, and the media considers him a relic from a bygone era. One can almost hear Jon Hamm delivering the same speech from Top Gun: Maverick to Sonny, saying, “You are not my first choice.” His old teammate Ruben (Javier Bardem) manages a Formula 1 racing team owned by APX, and he believes Sonny’s old-school instincts can save them.
After some persuasion, Sonny accepts Ruben’s offer and becomes a racing teammate with a younger driver named Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). The story transforms into a battle of egos as Sonny and Joshua internally struggle over racing decisions and leadership on the track. For instance, Sonny makes his debut by racing against his own teammate for the track position, which makes the entire operation appear unprofessional. The movie also features the always charming Kerry Condon as Kate, an expert in designing F1 cars that can perform in various conditions. If Pitt is the Maverick of F1, Condon serves as the Jennifer Connelly of the movie. There is nothing original at play here, and that may be the point. The story is about a reckless individual who must learn to work well with others to accomplish greatness. In summary, the plot of Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick.
Joseph Kosinski demonstrates great technical work with F1: The Movie
Much like Top Gun: Maverick, the technical craftsmanship in F1 is impressive. There are race sequences that make one feel like they are moving over 200 mph inside the vehicle. The main difference is that conveying high-octane motion is more challenging inside an F1 car than in a military fighter jet with overhead windows for wide shots. Cinematographer Claudio Miranda makes every frame within the company racing house feel like an Apple Store. The white backgrounds surrounding the sleek black cars give everything a luxurious vibe. It shares the same eye-popping aesthetic as the reimagined cockpit in 2009’s Star Trek.
The IMAX footage impressively showcases immersive visuals captured with 6K digital IMAX cameras during racing sequences. Personally, this writer prefers the 70mm framing, but one can understand why it would be a nightmare to use film for a movie about racing at 200mph. The sound design equally impresses, balancing the intensity of the cars, the dialogue, and the small, intricate details on the track. However, for all the strength shown in the moments of racing, the story cannot escape a formulaic screenplay that borrows heavily from much better movies.
Gran Turismo and Top Gun Maverick by Chat GPT
To come full circle, the issue with F1 lies in its excessively generic screenplay. To be clear, this review is not accusing anyone of using AI, but the methodology of how the story unfolds resembles what one might expect an AI to produce if asked, “Give me a script that combines Gran Turismo and Top Gun: Maverick into one blockbuster.”
For instance, Gran Turismo follows a young racer mentored by an old retired driver (played by David Harbour), who conflicts with the mentor until they form a beautiful rhythm that leads them to win the championship. Top Gun: Maverick tells the story of a reckless “has-been” pilot who is the only one capable of mentoring a new generation of pilots. Maverick also sleeps with the main female lead in the film. One can see the formation of F1 when combining elements from both films. Additionally, both David Harbour and Brad Pitt embody the mentor archetype, with Pitt adding the know-it-all Maverick role as a teammate rather than a coach. Moreover, the film features a tragic sequence that strikingly mirrors a pivotal tragic scene in Gran Turismo in its execution.
Additionally, the impetuous hero arc is beginning to grow tiresome as a story mechanic. The impulsive protagonist, who is a dangerously effective leader, is an overly utilized character in numerous films. Eventually, one has to wonder if someone will take the wrong lesson from it. While F1 briefly examines the consequences of throwing caution to the wind, for Brad Pitt’s character Sonny, it mostly feels short-lived.
F1: The Movie is turbo-charged with cliches
Ultimately, when moviegoers see F1 this weekend, one has to consider what kind of moviegoer they are. Avatar (2009) is a visually spectacular movie but operates on a highly derivative plot. Despite criticisms regarding its simplistic narrative, the film achieved remarkable success. For some, story matters more than visuals. For others, a visually stunning movie can make a generic plot forgivable. For this writer, the first category is more meaningful.
Joseph Kosinski can make a film look beautiful, and that has been true since Tron: Legacy. Unfortunately, F1 is a visually pleasing movie with nothing new under the hood of its car. The film wants to hit every familiar box so desperately that it shoehorns a corporate villain into the mix before the final lap. However, maybe for the general movie audience this weekend, the racing will be enough.
F1: The Movie will be in theaters on June 27, 2025.
Learn more about the film, including how to buy tickets, at the official website for the title.
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