F1 (2025)

A high adrenaline rush of a movie that perfectly mixes in drama and story.

A lot of people will say that Tom Cruise is the last real movie star, and those people can make very powerful arguments for Tom. Until he proves me wrong though, I will throw Brad Pitts name in that hat as well. He still has that raw movie star prowess that isn’t as common in Hollywood nowadays. Any movie that stars Brad Pitt will be an immediate draw. For Cinephiles as well, I would also say that Jerry Bruckheimer is a big draw as well. Those two love putting magic on the screen.

First things first, this movie looks fantastic. I will most likely never have the balls to even train to get behind the wheel of anything remotely resembling an F1 graded car, but dog gonnit this movie is probably the closest I”ll ever get to experiencing that kind of g force euphoria. The cinematography and cgi are outstanding. As someone that knows less than nothing about acing in general, I have to naively admit that this is what racing has to be like. I did see this In IMAX and not an immersive experience like D-Box or 4DX, but the surround sound had me feeling like I was on the track, the sound effects were next level and something that may even garner some attention at the Oscars.

Brad Pitt is Brad Pitt, no notes. What he’s been doing is and has been working for decades now. He always puts his charisma into his roles, and for Sonny Hayes he brings a certain and specific type of sadness into the character. He has Sonny mask it well with his swag and smile, but you can feel that depression reeking off of his masking masculinity. It’s a strong performance and definitely one of his better ones. The rest of the cast is ok, I wouldn’t say Pitt carries the dynamic weight but it’s not exactly a story that demands specific performances from the supporting cast.

The story is great, I really enjoyed the screenplay and the dialogue is great. The exchanges between Hayes and Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris, are great for literal clashes in different generations. It felt like seeing Rocky go one on one proverbially with Mason Dixon in Rocky Balboa. It’s literally a tale that’s as old as time, the new clashing with the old for dominance and relevance. 

I guess the only issue I really had with the film was the outcome of the final race. I personally feel like it could have gone the other way and the impact would have still been as important. The underlying issue with the decision that they made, with me, is that they tried to show growth in character but I don’t think the way those character arcs went made that much sense to me. Regardless it’s not that big deal, it just leaves a bigger impression on me since it was the climax of the film.

Watch this movie with loved ones and watch it with the best sound system you got, you won’t regret it!

🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2