It’s weird to think about now, but the lead-up to Top Gun: Maverick was less than positive. It seemed like a far too late sequel and more proof that Hollywood was out of ideas and heart. Director Joseph Kosinski somehow delivered a movie that appealed to most moviegoers in a time where we needed something special. Now, he’s back with a similar story and template. But, can he make magic happen twice?
In F1, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is an aging driver who lives his life with no regard for himself. He was once a prodigy in the racing world, but a dramatic injury took him out of competition. Now, the owner of a struggling F1 team is desperate and seeks Sonny’s help to bolster and save the team.
In the midst of this racing season, he must deal with a disbelieving crew, mediocre vehicles, and a rookie driver (Damson Idris) who has everything to prove.
The story is nothing we haven’t seen dozens of times before. A grizzled vet joins the ranks of a team to instill confidence and add a certain level of know-how to make them victorious somehow. It a tried formula, but that doesn’t stop it from working masterfully.
What elevates this tired mentor/involuntary mentee type plot is every moving part within. The dialogue feels so natural. Sure, the races are exhilarating and we’ll get there. But even the personal moments between any two characters are so well acted and written. Deep down this is a character piece hidden in a racing-action film.
Pitt is so good at what he does. Sure, the note he plays is too cool for school, but his delivery is perfect, and the script allows him to explore some of the deeper trauma he’s gone through and what it means for his character to be this close to his dreams again. Damson Idris is spectacular as the social media savvy and entirely too vain, young driver. This is Joshua Pearce’s story just as much as it’s Sonny Hayes’. These two drivers are often thorns in each others’ sides, but the movie puts you in each of their shoes and allows the audience to relate.
The whole cast deserves praise, but this would not be what it is without Kerry Condon, who plays the chief engineer for the team. She is somehow more invested in the team’s success than anyone else. In what could have been a standard will they/won’t they romantic foil, she adds plenty of nuance and drive for the team. She steals every scene she’s in.
And now for the races. While this is not a true story of an F1 driver, this is essentially a season long tour of actual F1 races. And with that level of reality, Kosinski captures what it might feel like to be in the actual driver’s seat. The main camera effect shown in the races shows the ground level first-person view of Hayes or Pearce, but the camera swiftly rotates back to show the driver, with a peripheral view of the other racers immediately surrounding them.
This is all complemented by the surprising Hans Zimmer score that constantly feels intense and even borrows the techno vibe from another Kosinski movie, Tron Legacy.
With all this said, is this a perfect movie? No. It’s 2 hours 35 minutes and, while the pacing is great, it is standard racing movie where nothing can really go right. The story wants these characters to fail and go through constant adversity. And yes, this all helps get the film to a great and surprising third act, but the tropes are evident.
June is just ending, but I don’t think it’s too soon to say that F1 is the movie of the summer. It has all the vibes that people loved from Top Gun: Maverick. Brad Pitt proves he’s still one of the last movie stars, and he’s backed up by a great ensemble. The races are thrilling, the camera work is absorbing, and the writing is top notch even for an all-too-familiar story. I’m excited to see this again. A-
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