With Top Gun: Maverick, filmmaker Joseph Kosinski made a statement. The movie was the second highest-grossing release of 2022, beaten only by Avatar: The Way of Water. It topped popular superhero franchises like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Batman, and Thor: Love and Thunder, an impressive feat. It's no wonder then that there's been so much excitement to see what would happen when the filmmaker took Top Gun: Maverick's high-octane action and mixed it with the thrilling world of Formula 1 in F1: The Movie. There's no denying that it's an impressive technical achievement, but if you're a Formula 1 fan, this might as well be a comedy.
To its credit, F1: The Movie attempts to explain its shortcomings when playing fast and loose with the world of F1. For example, when Brad Pitt's Sonny Hayes misses Practice and Qualifying, he starts from the back of the Grid...in reality, he wouldn't have even been allowed to race. More egregious is what happens during Hayes' return, where he blatantly cheats and commits so many ridiculous moves behind the wheel—deliberately crashing his car and slowing down other drivers—he'd have been disqualified and likely banned from the sport immediately (and to say this movie as a while strains credibility is an understatement, seeing as a driver in his late-50s wouldn't have the necessary FIA Super Licence—or even physical fitness—to step into an F1 car). It's just plain dumb, and feels like someone making a movie about American football when they've only watched English rugby. With a stronger script, F1: The Movie could have stayed grounded in reality and found ways to add enough drama to make it more than just what you can see on TV most Sundays.
Aaaaand by now, I'm guessing we've lost a lot of you. Again, if you don't watch Formula 1, then you probably couldn't care less that this movie plays fast and loose with rules you have no stake or interest in. However, as this is an "official" F1 movie, it should have done better and ultimately feels like a 150-minute, gawdy commercial for a sport desperate to convince new fans that it's all really this dramatic. Alas, Formula 1 isn't WWE, and Max Verstappen's masterful Brazil 2024 win that saw him go from 17th to 1st in torrential rain will forever be more exciting and compelling than this artificial, over-the-top nonsense. The fact is, even if realism doesn't matter to you, F1: The Movie boasts a cookie-cutter story about a washed-up has-been making a comeback, all while he deals with an upstart rookie looking to prove himself. It offers audiences nothing new or remotely original, and Ron Howard's Rush—the real-life story of James Hunt and Niki Lauda's rivalry—is an infinitely better watch.
From a technical standpoint, F1: The Movie is impressive, and the camera work is groundbreaking. It does wear a little thin later in the movie, but Kosinski finds innovative ways to shoot the on-track action, and there are lots of exciting moments. Back to F1 fans for a moment, and there are cameos and Easter Eggs galore, even though it's apparent the real drivers (outside of executive producer Lewis Hamilton) wanted little to do with this Hollywoodization of their sport. It's fun seeing the ever-dominant Verstappen wow Hayes, though, and a treat when moments from real races are incorporated into the story. Guenther Steiner, if you're reading this, you stole the show. As noted, the movie's story doesn't deliver anything we haven't seen before, but if you do get invested in what's playing out on screen, there's every chance you'll be punching their air in delight by the time it ends. Or, and not to belabour the point, frustration if you're an F1 fan (the editing is also poor, with the APX cars seemingly teleporting from the back to the front of the field).
This is Pitt's movie and his return to being a leading man in a big-budget project. He's fine in the role, but not overly believable and comes across very stilted in the moments he's clearly meant to be delivering a rah-rah, inspiring line. Damson Idris is better, but to keep this comic book movie-relevant for a second, is he Black Panther material? The jury is out. For Javier Bardem, we're pretty sure this was just a paycheck, and it's a real shame to see the excellent Kerry Condon play technical director in a sport where women are finally making strides...and be almost immediately relegated to love interest status. What a waste. The supporting cast is saddled with playing clichés and stereotypes, so they don't warrant a mention.
Perhaps F1: The Movie has the potential to be a great summer blockbuster, but it's going to be down to non-fans to decide whether that's the case. It's occasionally takes you to edge-of-your-seat territory and sometimes even inspiring to watch Sonny and the upstart Joshua Pearce doing battle on track, but it hits too many familiar beats not to walk away with the sense that we've seen it all before. Pitt appears desperate to prove to the world he's still got "it" as a leading man, and Kosinski can only rely so much on technical achievements before it becomes apparent he struggles to get what he needs from his actors and isn't the strongest filmmaker when it comes to storytelling. It's an overall disappointing experience with a potentially divisive ending, and one that paves the way for Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman to be the movies that kick off the second half of the summer blockbuster season in true style.
A $300 million vanity project for Formula 1 that fails to do right by the sport or its fans, it ultimately falls into too many familiar trappings to be anything more than just another racing movie. Do yourselves a favour and watch the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend instead. [⭐]