Action
Drama
Review: ‘F1 The Movie’ is a Pedal-to-the-Metal Sports Drama that Puts Audiences Directly in the Driver’s Seat
June 18, 2025Ben MK
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The need for speed is something most moviegoers feel from time to time. And thanks to films like Days of Thunder, Driven and Gran Turismo, adrenaline junkies needn't go very far to satisfy that desire. Whether it's the story of a rookie NASCAR driver out to prove his mettle, the mentor-mentee relationship between a racing veteran and a hot-shot newcomer, or a video game prodigy turned real-life racer, there's no better place for the average person to experience the thrill of the race than at the multiplex. And with F1 The Movie, Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski is taking things into maximum overdrive, in this underdog drama about a former champ who finds himself back behind the wheel when he teams up with a rookie driver to save his friend's beleaguered racing team. Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) could have been the next great racing legend. But after surviving a near-fatal crash in the '90s, he instead saw his promising career in the sport cut unexpectedly short. For years after that, Sonny struggled with the feelings of bitterness and regret that come along with enduring such a spectacular failure, turning to gambling and other means of trying to eke out a living. In recent years, however, Sonny has managed to rekindle his love of racing, travelling from city to city and taking on one random wheelman job after another. It's a meager and unglamorous existence that has forced him to live out of his van, even though he's been able to accomplish such impressive feats as winning a coveted first-place NASCAR trophy. But when he's paid a surprise visit by his former friend and fellow racer, Ruben (Javier Bardem), Sonny suddenly sees a golden opportunity to help out an old acquaintance while also simultaneously turning around his own fortunes. The embattled owner of Apex Racing, Ruben has been itching to turn his losing Formula One team into a winning one, if only to keep the team's board of directors from voting him out. However, with the season already half over and Apex $350 million in debt, it's a seemingly futile endeavor to try and change Apex's all-but-inevitable fate. Nevertheless, Ruben has a plan — one involving pairing Sonny with Apex's up-and-coming star driver, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). But although it seems like a solid plan on paper, what remains to be seen is how these two alpha male personalities will fare when they're both thrown into the heat of professional competition. Will Sonny and Joshua be able to put aside their differences in order to succeed? Or will Sonny's unorthodox racing strategy — as effective as it might be — prove to be the downfall of both him and all the hard-working men and women who poured their blood, sweat and tears into transforming Apex into a championship team? Written by Ehren Kruger, the result is a pedal-to-the-metal sports drama that feels all too familiar, swapping out the sky-high action of Kosinski's wildly successful Top Gun sequel for something a little more road-worthy. Still, despite the lack of narrative surprises and the cookie-cutter clichés that fuel the movie, audiences will find no shortage of high-speed set pieces to keep them biting their nails and teetering on the edge of their seats. Thanks to some genuinely thrilling cinematography, engine-revving sound design and a pulse-pounding soundtrack, F1 excels at putting moviegoers directly in the driver's seat, giving viewers a jaw-dropping experience that's as close to being in an actual Formula One race as many are likely to have. When it comes to its follow-the-safety-car type of story, on the other hand, that's one aspect that, unfortunately, remains in a somewhat lower gear. Suffice to say, if you're looking for the cinematic equivalent of a theme park roller coaster ride, F1 is one of the few summer blockbusters in recent memory to actually live up to that promise. For those in the mood for a more substantial, more in-depth sports drama that has something else to offer other than just bluster and bombast, however, you might want to take a lap or two and try racing outside the line. F1: The Movie releases June 27th, 2025 from Warner Bros. Pictures. The film has an MPAA rating of PG-13 for strong language, and action. Its runtime is 2 hrs. 35 min. |
