PREMISE
A Formula One driver comes out of retirement to mentor and team up with a younger driver.
THE GOOD STUFF
PITT- Sonny Hayes is the kind of towering superhero-esque character that’s built for a movie star of Brad Pitt’s caliber. The type of character that Tom Cruise would play is a guy who’s the very best at everything that involves his profession, and has to teach the young whippersnappers a thing or two. This is so familiar because we see Cruise do it all the time. Pitt has never been that guy.
That being said…. It’s not like he’s bad at playing the type; in fact, the kind of “aw shucks” essence of personality that he brings to a role like this does make it somewhat refreshing, albeit very familiar. He has this way of portraying casual badassery while conveying a completely kind and gentle soul.
ACTION- To say that this is the most comprehensive portrayal of what professional F1 racing is like IRL can only be an assumption from a man like me, who is not a casual fan of the sport. However, there have been quite a few racing movies that have been done very well, and all I can do is compare this one to those. In that, I will say that the racing scenes in this movie far outdo anything that’s come before it. I saw this in a non-premium auditorium, and it was still a feast for the eyes and ears. There’s a moment in this film where Sonny is “flying” while driving. How that particular perspective of the driver is presented is pretty incredible stuff to see on a big screen.
Technique – No, I’m not a casual fan of F1 racing; I’m a fan of sports in general, and I do understand that it is much easier to fall in love with a sport if you know some of the technicalities that make the athletes and the teams themselves great. I feel that many people will approach this movie, as I did, thinking that the success of a professional racing team is entirely dependent on the driver’s skill behind the wheel. I knew this movie would prove me to be incorrect on that, but I didn’t know to what extent.
This movie breaks down the science behind the sport and why elements like your pit crew, tires, and, most importantly, your car are equally as important as the driver. As it turns out, F1 racing is a very beautiful sport. And a complicated one.
THE BAD STUFF
THE SOUND MIXING- Leigh Diffey, Martin Brundle, and David Croft provide in-race commentary throughout the film. As I’ve come to learn about them, I’ve discovered that these individuals are world-class talents in their professions. And man, do they sound enthusiastic as they provide commentary for these races that go on in this movie.
The problem is the sound mixing. As previously mentioned, I saw this in a regular ass theater and I could not hear the specificity of what these individuals were saying over the sound of the cars and the pulsating music that did not need to exist in any of these racing sequences. They were drowned out every single solitary time. I can’t imagine how indecipherable this commentary would be on a sound system that’s way more advanced, like a Dolby theater or an IMAX theater. My goodness.
THE UGLY STUFF
**************
We’re at the halfway point of the year right now, and it can be said without question that this is one of the best movies of 2025 so far. It speaks volumes about the quality of a movie when two and a half hours pass by relatively quickly. Sure, the story is overly familiar and hits a lot of the sports movie tropes… But who cares?
The one objective that a movie called F1: THE MOVIE should not be shooting for is creating an innovative story to tell in this particular sport. The job is to celebrate the sport portrayed in the film, champion its movie star who is headlining the film, highlight everybody in the cast, and give them their moments to shine, and most importantly… Prove to the world that a sports movie like this is worthy of being in the mix of summer films that are also big budget and bombastic.
That’s precisely what this does.Â
F1: THE MOVIE is in theaters now