‘F1: The Movie' Reviews: Does Brad Pitt Power Formula 1 Racing Thriller?

Forbes

5 hours ago

"F1: The Movie" partial poster featuring Kerry Condon, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem.
Brad Pitt's F1: The Movie has gotten off to a roaring start with early reviews from critics.
Rated PG-13, F1: The Movie isn't opening in theaters until June 27, but the review embargo for the Warner Bros. and Apple Original Films release was lifted following the film's New York City premiere on Monday night.
The official summary for F1: The Movie reads, 'Dubbed 'the greatest that never was, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was Formula 1's most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he's a nomadic racer-for-hire when he's approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling Formula 1 team that is on the verge of collapse.
'Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to Formula 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He'll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team's hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny's past catches up with him and he finds that in Formula 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition — and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.'
Directed by Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, F1 The Movie also stars Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies and Kim Bodnia. Apple Original Films and Warner Bros. said that Formula 1 the Movie was filmed during 'actual Grand Prix weekends.'
As of Tuesday, F1: The Movie has received an 83% 'fresh' rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 54 reviews. RT's Critics Consensus, Popcornmeter score with verified user ratings and an audience summary are still pending.
Sophie Butcher of Empire Magazine is among the top critics on RT who is giving F1: The Movie a 'fresh' rating on RT, writing, 'Joseph Kosinski has done it again. F1 combines unparalleled access, pioneering filmmaking and moving redemption arcs to deliver an exhilarating cinematic experience. What will he attach a camera to next?'
Tim Grierson of Screen International echoes Butcher's sentiments, writing in his 'fresh' summary on RT, 'Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski does for cars what he previously did for fighter jets, transforming them into balletic machines that fly through the frame with unstoppable propulsion.'
David Fear of Rolling Stone compliments Brad Pitt in his 'fresh' take of F1: The Movie on RT, writing, 'This what blockbusters used to look like. Come for the most impressive, lustrous car that a gajillion-dollar budget can buy. The reason to stay, however, is the driver.'
Not as impressed with the film is Nicholas Barber of the BBC, who writes in his 'rotten' review summary on RT, 'While Top Gun: Maverick was a masterpiece that pulled viewers into events in and out of the cockpit, F1 is simply a competently assembled collection of underdog sports-drama clichés. It never convinces you that its protagonists are human beings.'
Kevin Maher of The Times (UK) also gave the film a 'rotten' review on RT, writing, 'There's an unashamedly 'enthusiastic' cross-promotional quality to the film, like a two-and-a-half-hour Formula 1 commercial, that never quite gels with its hoary central story.'
Clarisse Loughrey of the Independent (UK) was also underwhelmed by F1: The Movie, writing in her 'rotten' review summary on RT, 'While director Joseph Kosinski and cinematographer Claudio Miranda can certainly shoot cars as well as they can planes, F1 represents the spiritually bone-dry, abrasive inverse to all of Maverick's giddy pleasures.'
F1: The Movie opens in theaters in wide release on June 27.