Thoughts on - F1 The Movie

I am Speed

I have been following F1, on and off from the days of Sebastian Vettel dominant run in Red Bull and it is one of the sports which I understand completely but fail to watch regularly. I think my average is 5 races per season at this point. And most of it shot up in recent years with the introduction of the dramatic aspect from Drive to Survive Netflix show. I think that show brought a huge amount of new fans to the series and renewed passion for many others. Before this movie and the Netflix show, I had watched only one media on this sport, Rush(2013) movie, and that movie flew under the radar for many, I believe that movie was much better written and executed than F1 The Movie, not by much but still.

So when the movie was announced, I had an idea of what we would be getting in the movie and this idea in my head was based around the movie Rush(2013) and I was not sure if someone would be able to improve over that movie. But then I heard that this movie was being directed by Joseph Kosinski, the mastermind behind Top Gun: Maverick the 2022 summer blockbuster which redefined what a good sequel and revival of old series looks like. So my hopes became high because I knew if someone knows how to mount a camera on a fast-moving vehicle pointing towards the driver in cramped spaces, it's Joseph. And if I had a dollar for every time he has done it successfully, I would have two dollars, which is not much but still amazing that it happened twice.

Coming to the movie, it has everything it needs to become another summer blockbuster by Joseph and it doesn't disappoint one bit. The movie has a really good story, not a real life story but they used the real F1 scenes and merged it well with scenes shot for the movie. Not only the line-up scene where you can see Brad Pitt standing next to the 2023/2024 F1 roster but also some of the race scenes were stitched with real life racing broadcast beautifully to enhance the viewing experience. The score for the movie is created by none other than Hans Zimmer and it goes hard, it elevates the music and many of its scenes to another level. The supporting cast and Brad Pitt have acted well in the movie. Cinematography is also top-notch, the cars feel fast and every impact and turn feels real and has some weight around it, but that was to be expected from someone who has worked on Top Gun: Maverick too. One more thing that this movie does very well is buildup. The story of Sonny Hayes from the moment the movie starts to when it ends, it tells a complete story. You are with that character and you feel his dreams and his goals and his struggles. So when the movie reaches its conclusion, Sonny's story does too and you as a viewer feel complete and happy with the conclusion. One of my favourite part of the movie was a segment which takes place at the last race. That segment was the exact moment I knew why I watch movies. Why I am addicted to these stories and fantasies. That moment made the child in me just laugh silently and say, this is why we watch cinema.

Now let's talk about ease of watching this movie, as it goes with sports movies sometimes they deal too heavy into the sports side and a normal person who doesn't follow the sports suddenly feels left out or lost in the movie. So can you watch this movie as someone who has not seen F1 ever? Yes you can. The movie does have few parts where the rules of F1 are being told or used by script which might cause confusion but movie overall does a very good job of explaining everything happening on screen. So with a little attention to dialogue you can follow the story without any issues.

Now let's flip the question, is the movie enjoyable for a hardcore F1 fan? Maybe. If you expect the movie to follow all of the intricacies and rules of F1 and every small detail, you will not enjoy the movie much, you still might like some of the aspects of the movie but you might still have some issues with it. So if you want to watch something which is purely F1, I would say Rush(2013) would be a much better pick over this. But if you are ready to suspend your disbelief you are going to have a much better time watching this movie.

Also don't wait to watch this at home, this is one of those movies where the soundtrack and cinematography come alive so well that you need the best and biggest way possible to watch the movie. IMAX. Watch it on IMAX.