PRAISE: It is clear that everyone behind F1 wants to give theatre goers a brand new and unique racing car movie experience. The story about race-car driver named Sonny who returns to Formula One after a thirty-year absence is basic around its edges but it does it's best to outrun the basics. I could tell Brad Pitt was in his comfort zone just like his character Sonny in the movie. He's comfortable where he is but is lured back into the high profile circuit by his old friend, Ruben Cerbantes (Javier Bardem) and he instantly butts heads with on the rise driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). There's all the right amounts of tension between the characters and when the movie reaches its second half the tension between Joshua and Sonny is reaching its boiling point and Pitt and Idris do a great job of displaying it. Sonny and chief engineer, Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), have some good moments together as she tries to peel back his guarded layers Sonny has developed over the years. The question is asked of both main characters Do you still love it? I think there is a great risk it all display from both characters that answers that question. Director Joseph Kosinski knows exactly what he's doing with some incredible shots of cars dipping in and out of perilous curves coupled with Hans Zimmers score and I wondered what this experience would have been like in 4DX. I love when a writer and Director aim to involve audiences as much as possible.
PROBLEMS: If the viewer like myself is not an F1 ultra fan they may find themselves lost in all of the car racing jargon that can feel a bit overdone at times. I could see the oiliness of a character coming from miles away. There are definitely some predictable turns and paths in the movie.
It was still a fun ride.
Scale of 1 to 10 an 8
