FILM REVIEW - F1

By The Masked Medic

Oh my God! Guys, we have an absolute summer of film, and I can’t promise you that you’ll get reviews for every single film, but by the power vested in me, by me, I’m going to try. Let’s hit the ground running, and by running, I mean driving. Driving very fast. Here’s my review of ‘F1’!

‘F1’ tells the story of Sonny Hayes, a racing driver who appears to be long past his prime, who drives for the fun of it, but never sticks in a single place. Having won a victory for Porsche at 24 Hours at Daytona, Hayes looks for his next challenge, and although the dunes of Mexico are calling, he’s approached by Ruben Cervantes, an old teammate who asks Sonny to race for the F1 team he owns; APXGP. Although Cervantes is keen, it takes a bit of persuasion to convince Hayes to give it a go. It takes even more persuasion for Cervantes to convince the APXGP team, consisting of Kaspar Smolinski, the team principal who doesn’t stop telling people the success he had at Ferrari, Kate McKenna, the technical director, and Joshua Pearce, APXGP’s other driver. However, despite raised eyebrows, Hayes joins the team. Pearce, who sees Hayes as competition, is quick to try to prove himself, but when their first race as teammates goes pear-shaped, Hayes sees that he must convince the young rookie to trust him. With pressure building on Cervantes to deliver, can Hayes and Pearce put aside differences and come together to create something magical? Or will Hayes’ dreams go up in flames, the same way his initial F1 career went?

Okay, so my opinions. With a fast-paced film like this, casting has to be limited because you can’t have it all. The film’s focus is on the racing, so you need a couple of good performances, and you’re in. First thing you have to do is cast an older, more experienced actor to lead the pack. In this case, it’s Brad Pitt. Now, Pitt is one of those actors who I think has aged like fine wine. Not that I’ve ever had it. Much like his character Hayes, he seems to do his craft effortlessly, and that makes the performance a joy to watch. Right, you have your veteran, so now you need to cast an up-and-coming rookie, ha! Damson Idris plays Joshua Pearce, and again, it’s a very good performance. He switches between cocky and genuine with such ease, that you wonder if it was acting or how he actually is. The team-up between the two was great. The supporting cast includes Kerry Condon as Kate McKenna. Again, it’s a natural performance, and her scenes are perfect for greasing the wheels in between race scenes. Finally, we get to my favourite performance, Javier Bardem as Ruben Cervantes. He’s so funny and charismatic that it makes me forget the clips I’ve seen of the sinister performance he puts into ‘No Country For Old Men’. Like I said, a streamlined cast that pulled off a victory!

So Joseph Kosinski was the director of this film, and he also happened to direct the acclaimed ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. This film almost mirrors the plot of that film a little, with a legendary veteran coming in to help a rookie who doesn’t want help, as they pilot vehicles that travel very fast. It almost doesn’t seem original. However, that being said, I really enjoyed ‘F1’. It felt as if the high-octane stakes were more believable, perhaps because I’m an F1 fan, and have some idea of what that entails. The plot, therefore, did not need to be that contrived. However, you want to feel some emotions, and there are a heap of adrenaline-inducing moments, coupled with some real character development, that at the end of the day, make the viewer feel like they were part of the journey. I have to say, one of the aspects that I really enjoyed was that it had all the actual F1 drivers in it, so although a tad unrealistic in certain parts, it still felt like Hayes and Pearce had been part of that F1 season, and just like the other 19 drivers on the grid, Max Verstappen was able to shrug them off! Ha!

Cinematography is where the film really shines. Apple has large pockets, and they’re always willing to dip into them when needed. Some of the scenes with the cameras on the actual cars racing were exhilarating. Like I said, Kosinski bought his skills from ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ into this project, and it paid off big time. Music-wise, loved the score. The songs were all apt, but also a really good mix of music, which helped to colour some of the more grounded scenes. Overall, this film was an excellent example of what can be created when you consult the right people, hire a passionate cast, and just have fun!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★

• Acting: ★★★★

• Cinematography: ★★★★

• Music: ★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★★