Alex Reviews "F1: The Movie"

Racing is easy to understand. “I must get there before anyone else.” It has always been a common ground for competition with origins in survival. Flash forward THOUSANDS of years and Formula 1 is constantly advancing technology beyond almost any other industry. F1: The Movie gives incredible in-depth looks into the crazy wealthy and highly competitive sport from a team level with peeks into the ultra-rich investors/fans.

F1: The Movie uses some insane technology to get incredibly clean, sharp images in conditions previously not believed to be capable. If you gather nothing else from this review, it is that you should see the film in the highest quality resolution available. As for the rest, please read on.

Lewis Hamilton’s passion project finds its line with Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) needing a miracle to save his team of F1 outcasts and upstarts from folding if they cannot get a win in the current season. At the peak of despair, he contacts his old teammate Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) to be the last-ditch effort to help the biggest underdog overcome the trillion-dollar racing industry.

With Oscar winners like Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt leading the cast, everyone would have to step up their game over the multi-year shooting schedule as the crew followed Formula 1 for filming many scenes. Not to be remotely outdone by her male counterparts, Kerry Condon (nominated for The Banshees of Inisherin) delivers her trademark Irish spitfire as the engineer trying to make racing history for women. However, I would like to focus on the performance of Damson Idris (Snowfall) as Joshua Pearce, the young hotshot desperately trying to cement his seat in Formula 1. Idris ranges from being a spoiled brat to an almost regal standing while checking every box on the way for demonstrating emotional growth. As a pre-F1 detractor, I now HOPE the MCU rumors are true, and we see him working with Ryan Coogler on an upcoming project.

The only negative that could be said of the performances, is that there are subtle inconsistencies in accents and dialect among certain performances. It is not unexpected for a two-year filming schedule where there may have been months between scenes for some performers. Interestingly enough, I couldn’t find a dialogue coach, vocal continuity director, nor a dialect supervisor in the cast list, but there is a chance I missed them.  

The only other “negative” I could address with F1 would be narrative decisions. This is spoiler-free, so do not worry about any coming up here. It is merely a personal opinion that I would have preferred if certain scenes had either a different focus or had not occurred based on the movie experience as a whole. If you wish to ask me about it after, come join us for a show in the Sunset Lounge on Patreon.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that I am only a reviewer, but Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) has cracked a code on making longer movies that are so fun and enjoyable, that they feel too brief. After 2 hours and 35 minutes, I was actually wanting the story to go on! There is a chance those scenes I would alter are part of his code. The way he shoots action and blends humor with the intensity of moments is gripping and really impressive by his entire team.

Pulling this review into the pit (sorry, not sorry), F1: The Movie is an amazing experience and a ton of fun. The only way I think I could have enjoyed it more is if I had a deeper knowledge of Formula 1, but this movie already has me looking into a fandom where every race on the BBC hypes you up with “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. It is absolutely one of the best films of the year and will be a regular watch for people forever.