F1 movie review: Brad Pitt-Damson Idris-Javier Bardem starrer sports drama delivers an immersive cinematic experience

Star cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Samson Kayo, Sarah Niles and Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

After delivering larger-than-life movies like Tron: Legacy and Top Gun: Maverick, among others, director Joseph Kosinski returns with F1, which promises to be a big-screen visual spectacle. While the promos looked nothing less than pure cinema, let’s see whether it lives up to the sky-high expectations of movie lovers.

The plot begins with Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) entering the Daytona oval after splashing water on his face and quickly making his way into the team’s car for the 24-hour race, where he goes from 0 to 180 mph in a minute.

Hayes, who was once a phenomenon in the F1 world, crashed out of it decades earlier and is now racing any vehicle, including even a taxi. He is approached by his former teammate and old friend, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), to join his F1 team APX GP, which is struggling big time in the racing world. While first Hayes refuses it, he eventually agrees.

The team’s young rookie driver Joshua “JP” Pearce (Damson Idris) is called a ‘shitbox’ because he failed to score even a single point in Formula One. While the whole APX GP team is sceptical of Hayes, it turns out to be more chaotic as his lap time turns out to be slower than JP’s, followed by a brutal crash at the open track.

As Principal Kaspar Smolinski (Kim Bodnia) and Technical Director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) have a big task to make sure Sonny and the team finish in the top 10 in the next 9 races for the survival of APX GP.

In this journey, the clash between Joshua and Hayes takes centre stage, and how their bond develops with an emotional eruption of an underdog winner narrates the crux of F1.

First things first, F1 is a technical masterpiece, and I would like to urge everyone to watch it on the biggest screen possible and preferably IMAX. The importance of verisimilitude is seen in every frame, with DoP Claudio Miranda brilliantly and skillfully bringing the world of F1 to life. Right from racing tracks to cockpit shots, Miranda makes you feel of witnessing F1 races with high thrills and drama. Hans Zimmer’s music takes the movie to the next level because of its blistering rhythm.

Joseph Kosinski once again delivers a cinematic visual spectacle, which is not only immersive but also blissful.

Talking about the performances, Pitt carries the film with his swag and charm and the underlayered emotions, which is a treat to your eyes. Damson is pitch-perfect as Joshua, with Javier Bardem acing his character with finesse and ease. Kerry Condon’s natural screen presence is magnificent.

On the whole, F1 is easily one of the best films of the year with hands-down technical brilliance.

Rating: 4 (out of 5 stars)

F1 is releasing on 27th June