Feel free to interrupt if you're familiar with this story...
A skilled but impulsive lone wolf past his prime is lured back from retirement for one final mission. During this journey, he clashes with an arrogant young rookie eager to prove himself. Surprisingly, their early tensions fade into admiration for each other, allowing both characters—especially the grumpy old-timer—to grow through the partnership before riding off toward new horizons changed for the better.
Yes, that’s the concept behind this Apple Original film produced by Lewis Hamilton, aiming to deliver a classic, adrenaline-fueled tribute to Formula One racing.
Admittedly, in this regard, F1 - or perhaps it would be more accurate to say, F1® The Movie For algorithmic reasons, as you know—succeeds.
Yet, this film stands out as a compelling drama with well-developed characters and a solid storyline—one that doesn't merely serve as a vehicle for excessive product placements or showcasing how remarkably youthful Brad Pitt appears at the age of 61. F1® The Movie It's an overall entertaining yet emotionally empty action film that serves as decent entertainment—assuming you enjoy having rogue lone wolves driving around recklessly. vroom vroom vroooooom .
You can't really blame them for giving it their best shot. In light of the tremendous success achieved by Netflix's popular documentary series Formula One: The Fight for Survival Producing a high-budget advertisement featuring a sponsor-friendly trademark emblem right in the title might seem like an obvious strategy for drawing crowds into cinemas. Yet, considering the rumored $300 million budget at hand, one would expect that at least some portion of those funds could have been allocated toward strengthening the writing team.
In F1® The Movie We witness how seasoned racer Sonny Hayes (played by Pitt) is lured out of retirement by his ex-teammate Ruben Cervantes (portrayed with charm by Javier Bardem), who convinces him to return to driving an F1 vehicle one final time—hoping this move will rescue their struggling APXGP squad from being auctioned off due to pressure from investors.
Riding along is Joshua Pearce (Damon Idris), a skilled newcomer desperately seeking guidance, and the team’s technical director, Kate McKenna (scene-stealing Kerry Condon), who faces the challenge of transforming the rundown "junk heap" vehicle into a high-performance racing beast.
Also joining them is Joshua Pearce (played by Damon Idris), an exceptionally gifted but inexperienced recruit in search of experienced counsel, alongside Kate McKenna (brilliantly portrayed by Kerry Condon)—the crew chief responsible for upgrading their dilapidated automobile from total wreck status into full-fledged race-ready contender form.
Among those involved are also promising yet untested racer Joshua Pearce (actor: Damon Idris) needing seasoned coaching—and behind-the-scenes star mechanic Kate McKenna played impressively well by actress Kerry Condon—who must somehow convert what amounts essentially being mechanical trash pile back then—into fully functional competition-grade supercar now capable winning races against toughest opponents out there today!
At the very least, she serves as a suitable romantic counterpart for his age—a predictable direction many stories like this tend to follow.
The squad has nine upcoming races before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to make a turnaround and demonstrate just how exceptional the world of Formula One truly is—far from being a troubled sport like many others. La la la, we’re not listening.
Director Joseph Kosinski, cinematographer Claudio Miranda, and screenwriter Ehren Kruger, who had previously worked together on 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick are all brought together again here to… well, pretty much the same thing. Only this time around, it's Brad Pitt instead of Tom Cruise.
Kudos to Kosinski and Miranda for capturing cars with the same flair they brought to filming airplanes, resulting in highly engaging race sequences. Filming on actual tracks with official support, along with employing newer compact IMAX cameras mounted directly onto the vehicles, brings viewers as close as possible to feeling what it’s really like to be part of an F1 event. Appearances by genuine Formula 1 drivers such as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton serve to further enhance the film's credibility.
The weakest element is Kruger, whose predictable script fails to make full use of the cast’s abilities and boils down to this: tough-guy attitude is awesome, with dialogue such as, "I'm just as bad as I used to be," and "Do we have the car?" / "We have THE DRIVER!"
Throw in the sluggish exposition delivered by voice-over commentators mid-race ("He definitely doesn’t want to be here—bringing up the rear" — wow, really insightful, writer!) and there are honestly times when you feel like kissing the business end of an exhaust pipe. Yet again, this comes courtesy of none other than Ehren Kruger, the very screenwriter responsible for mangling things before. Scream 3 provided us with screenplays for Revenge of the Fallen: Transformers , Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction As well as the often-criticized live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell So let's not feign shock at how predictable this underdog sports story turns out to be.
For all the F1® The Movie this crowd favorite doesn't offer a terrible experience at the cinema either. As long as you're willing to overlook the predictable storyline and certain elements F1® The Movie It’s frequently part machine-gun pacing cinematic spectacle, part unsubtle promotional stunt overloaded with conspicuous brand integrations — yet still manages sporadic brilliance. The direction by Condon impresses greatly, complemented powerfully by Hans Zimmer’s dependable musical scoring; cleverly chosen soundtrack highlights emerge via iconic vintage cuts from Queen and Led Zeppelin juxtaposed intriguingly against contemporary hits by artists like RAYE, Tate McRae, and Doja Cat; once more, the racing sequences electrify viewers through intense tire-screeching action.
If only they had invested a little more effort and budget into steering clear of overused ideas and developing something that didn’t resemble a high-budget corporate advertisement… Then they could have really gone full throttle.
F1® The Movie It’s currently showing in theaters.