(film review) - F1

It took me a moment to find myself at the cinema to watch this movie. I cannot say I was in a rush to see it, but also, there were other movies I wanted to see first, and although this looks really good and I was hearing good things about it, it was more about finding the time. I am not a die-hard fan of Formula 1; I don't even watch it when it is on TV. I am aware of it to some extent, but this movie, wow, I might actually start watching F1 because this movie was incredible!

Sonny Hayes is a race car driver, but when an old friend, Ruben, comes knocking to enlist him into his team and mentor a younger driver, everything does not go according to Ruben's plan, and his team is on the line.

Firstly, this film is an ode to the 90s with film story tropes you possibly thought died in the 90s; however, Top Gun: Maverick proves that a good story is a good story. Deliver a good story, entertain the crowd, and you can have a winner, but you need to go through the checklist and hit every point at 100%. It is not about quantity; it is about quality, and this is where a lot of movies fail. This movie is about the old man teaching the new guy the way to progress to get an advantage in life (well, in racing), but the new guy thinks the old guy is old and does not know what he is talking about because times have changed since the old man's hay day, you know, he's out of touch. It's the arrogance, it's the ignorance, it's the thinking you know what is best, it's the time element in how much time has passed and learning to be flexible and to adapt. This film had me so gripped; there was a moment I thought, "Wow, this movie seems long," but I did not care because I was enjoying it. This film has heart, sadness, regret, love, excitement, and touches on all the things I mentioned earlier, packed into this storyline about being open to learning something new and chasing your dreams, realising what you need in life and what you do not need. This film delivers in spades (inside card joke - when you watch the movie, you will get it). The film is also somewhat predictable, but it does throw some curveballs at the audience.

The music is phenomenal. The music also felt like an ode to the '90s. Not to say it was music they would play from that era, but sonically, it sounded like music from that era; does that make sense? The music was loud, but fitting. The movie displayed all the hallmarks of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie from that era, and the music was definitely consistent in tone. The sound design was amazing, like absolutely phenomenal. You felt like you were in the crowds, close to the tarmac, or even by the mechanics at the pit stop. I am not sure if they do it, but if you can smell burning rubber in a 4DX screening, I swear, you'd think you are actually in the movie. Every rev, every tire screech, every tool—it all had a unique sound, especially with the crunching and crashing of the materials these cars are made from. Seeing cars zipping fast down a speed track and crashing, and the sound it makes, will make you wince, especially when you learn how much one of these cars costs! There was a moment where the audience gasped (or at least I did), but the cinema was dead quiet, and I think I even clutched my pearls. There was this moment in the movie and in the storyline that carried a hefty weight as if Thanos snapped, and the sound design, as I said, was amazing.

The cinematography is like Top Gun: Maverick, but in an F1 car, and where the camera is situated, it had to be 100% real acting. It's 100% Brad Pitt and Damson Idris driving F1 cars. I cannot vouch for the high speeds, cornering, and such, but you can see Brad and Damson's eyes, and it looks like them and no digital trickery. The camera angles are in the cockpit, just like in Top Gun: Maverick, and the angles are great. Remember when I said the sound makes you feel like you are there, so did the camera angles.

Which brings me to the acting. Brad Pitt carries that old Brad Pitt swagger of a young heartthrob who has aged like fine wine, still swooning all the ladies, but whilst being older and knowledgeable, he also comes across rogueish, and his behaviour is a little rough, whilst being very gentle and calm. In short, he has baggage, especially for somebody who travels so light (another inside joke). Damson Idris is the opposite of Brad in every way as he brought a young, a little cocky, talented, but arrogant driver, who is dedicated but inexperienced. He enjoys the limelight and the fame, and Damson did a great job portraying JP. Javier Bardem. It was this movie that I realised that this is just one phenomenal actor. Whilst I was watching the movie, I kept thinking "wait a minute, isn't he the guy in Skyfall?" whilst at the same time saying "It was written". I was not even thinking of Dune, I was thinking of Skyfall the entire time I was looking at his face whilst also saying "It was written". I don't think he did anything special in this movie, but he carries weight in his performance. There is a scene where he has a dialogue with Brad, and it is an emotional scene, enough to move you. Javier was great. Even Brad in that moment was great; it was just a great scene. All the other characters and their performances were good; I just felt that Damson Idris' manager felt a little forced, and it took me out of it a little, but that might be because I am not used to that dynamic and his delivery.

I came out of this movie buzzing. Superman had me buzzing a little, Fantastic Four: First Steps had me buzzing a little more, but with F1, I was actually buzzing, so hard I was almost bouncing off the walls wanting to talk about it to someone, anyone and talk about how good it was. The film has everything, and it is very entertaining, as I was engaged from start to finish. I definitely recommend watching this.