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At times, \u201cF1: The Movie\u201d feels like a sleek music video, with the action on screen perfectly synchronized with Hans Zimmer\u2019s score, which blends into rock fusion as Page and Plant belt out \u201cWhole Lotta Love\u201d or while arena rock band Queen competes with the roaring thunder of Formula One racecars. Judging by the numerous sweeping drone shots, director Joseph Kosinski (\u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d) remains fixated on the skies, supported by the obligatory airborne crash scene. You could describe the film as bombastic because it moves with force and confidence while the characters coast in the superficial lane. Still, the race scenes are thrilling, and there\u2019s Brad Pitt.<\/p>\n
There are shades of Brad Pitt\u2019s Cliff Booth character from \u201cOnce Upon a Time\u2026 in Hollywood\u201d in his portrayal of racecar driver Sonny Hayes. He\u2019s constantly in chill mode even though his better days are behind him\u2014also similar to Colt Seavers in \u201cThe Fall Guy,\u201d played by Ryan Gosling. Can we get all three characters in a film about a folk-rock supergroup, Booth, Hayes, & Seavers? Get Ryan Coogler to direct it to work that \u201cseeing-double\u201d magic he used to give us double Michael B. Jordans. An easy pitch.<\/p>\n
Sonny is a nomad living out of his van and was once a rising star in Formula One during the 1990s. A crash derailed his career. His former teammate, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), now runs the APXGP F1 team and is in need of a driver. Ruben\u2019s team is in last place, even with hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris).<\/p>\n
As you might guess, Ruben asks Sonny to join the team. Sure, three decades have flown by, but Sonny still lives life in the fast lane. It may not be Formula One, but he just won the 24 Hours of Daytona, set in an exhilarating scene featuring Led Zeppelin\u2019s classic \u201cWhole Lotta Love.\u201d The soundtrack includes needle drops by Ratt, Burna Boy, Chris Stapleton, Tate McRae, Roddy Ricch, ROS\u00c9, Queen, Obongjayar, and the club banger \u201cLose My Mind\u201d by Don Toliver (feat. Doja Cat), which becomes the film\u2019s signature track. Kosinski has a knack for choosing songs that enhance the soundtrack. \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d featured tracks by David Bowie, T. Rex, and The Who, along with a new song by Lady Gaga.<\/p>\n
Screenwriter Ehren Kruger highlights the rivalry between Joshua and Sonny, as the rookie becomes intimidated by the veteran driver. \u201cI think it\u2019s really wonderful that APX is giving second chances to the elderly,\u201d quips Joshua during a press conference. The young driver has a close relationship with his mother, Bernadette (Sarah Niles), who is always nearby to offer support and keep her son\u2019s ego in check. You could compare their relationship to that of Travis Kelce and his mother, Donna, but Joshua also comes across as a bit of a mama\u2019s boy. I like Niles, but I would have preferred a love interest for Joshua (his Taylor Swift), but she (Simone Ashley) was left on the cutting room floor.<\/p>\n
The standout person in the cast is Oscar-nominated actress Kerry Condon (\u201cThe Banshees of Inisherin\u201d) playing Kate McKenna, the APXGP technical director who designed the team\u2019s Formula One car. I wouldn\u2019t exactly call her Sonny\u2019s love interest, but there\u2019s some flirtation, maybe more. Condon is cast against type, which is why she\u2019s excellent in the role. The Irish actress takes the spotlight in a room filled with Pitt, Idris, and Bardem.<\/p>\n
Frequent Kosinski collaborator and cinematographer Claudio Miranda, who began as a gaffer for David Fincher on films like \u201cSeven\u201d and \u201cFight Club,\u201d and won an Oscar for his work on 2012\u2019s \u201cLife of Pi,\u201d should receive another nomination for his stunning visuals in \u201cF1: The Movie,\u201d which feature broad aerial shots and first-person perspectives, creating a fully immersive experience. Optimized for IMAX, Miranda used the Sony Rialto Camera Extension System to place the audience inside the fighter jets of \u201cTop Gun: Maverick.\u201d A prototype was used in \u201cF1\u201d to position the viewer inside the Formula One cars, resulting in some incredible shots.<\/p>\n
The racing sequences are exhilarating, and fans of Formula One get treated to tons of cameos by drivers that include Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Lando Norris. However, make no mistake, \u201cF1: The Movie,\u201d with all its thrilling action, remains a character-driven film. Unfortunately, the focus is just on one character, Sonny Hayes.<\/p>\n
Those beautiful aerodynamic machines are no match for Brad Pitt\u2019s boyish charm. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer squeezes every cent out of Pitt\u2019s $30 million salary. The film begins with a \u201cThere\u2019s no \u2018I\u2019 in team, but there are two in winning\u201d mentality. It would have benefited from a stronger rivalry between Sonny and Joshua; instead, it becomes sappy.<\/p>\n
We are also in familiar territory, as many similar themes were explored in the NASCAR version of this film, Tony Scott\u2019s \u201cDays of Thunder\u201d (1990), starring Tom Cruise. The \u201cTop Gun\u201d actor was 28 when he played reckless Cole Trickle in the race car film, while his rival, played by Michael Rooker, was 35 years old. That closer age disparity for the veteran works better in a movie like this. Side note: Add Cruise\u2019s character to the folk-rock supergroup I pitched earlier (maybe as the Neil Young). Making them Booth, Hayes, Seavers, & Trickle.<\/p>\n
\u201cF1: The Movie\u201d is an entertaining Pitt stop meant to stimulate at surface level.<\/p>\n
(3 stars)<\/p>\n
Now showing in theaters<\/p>\n
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