Movie Review: F1: The Movie (2025)
Joseph Kosinski’s latest piece of high quality modern blockbuster filmmaking.
F1: The Movie continues to prove that Joseph Kosinski is a master in modern blockbuster filmmaking through his impeccable vision while making you feel something for a story and characters that have been done before various times.
Speaking of said story & characters, they are probably the weakest link of the whole film, but they’re not bad by any means. It’s just a case in which it treads through a ton of familiar territory, especially territory that has been explored before in many other racing movies. Sonny Hayes (played by Brad Pitt) is a hotshot racer who embodies every ounce of cockiness and arrogance that you would find in a character like this, one who tends to make questionable decisions at the expense of the other characters around him, but the movie still does a good job in fleshing out in a manner that allows you to understand where he is coming from. In fact, even though there are quite a few cliches to be found in Ehren Kruger’s screenplay, I did appreciate how much dedication went into crafting its characters while also detailing the main protagonist’s classic journey in working his way back to the top in competition with another racer named Joshua Pearce (played by Damson Idris). It makes for a solid, if imperfect, tale of “old vs new”, rivalry, and proving your worth for one last time that feels reminiscent of a classic blockbuster from the 80s & 90s.
Obviously though, the movie’s biggest strengths lie in both the technical aspects and Joseph Kosinski’s directing. Essentially, F1: The Movie is Kosinski taking all of his directorial magic from Top Gun: Maverick and applying to an F1 racing film. And as expected, he once again delivers another intense yet still awe-inspiring feat behind the camera as every racing sequence in this movie is just wonderful to witness. Kosinski brings a grippingly visceral edge to every racing sequence to this film that makes it impossible for you to look away from due to how brilliantly he handles all the technical elements here to bring said scenes to life. Claudio Miranda further proves that he understands how to shoot action through his terrific camerawork, shot compositions, and framing combined with great lighting (all of which is plastered throughout the entire movie), the editing by Stephen Mirrione contains a kinetic flair to the film’s presentation and storytelling that makes use of its 155 minute runtime, Hans Zimmer showcases his prowess as one of the best film score composers ever through his masterful work for this film, and the sound design creates an immersive mood and feel that gravitates you in a way that makes you feel like you are watching an actual F1 race.
Finally, I have to give huge credit to the cast of this film, who all delivers rock solid performances even if the material they are working with may not be the best way for them to showcase their talents as actors. While Sonny may be a problematic character in ways, Brad Pitt still brings his usual old-school style charm to the role while also capturing his hotheaded personality very well in key areas. Damson Idris also delivers a very good performance here as Joshua Pearce, bringing a similar level of star quality as Pitt while standing out in his own way through his own charisma, even if I wish he had more to do in the role. The same applies to Javier Bardem as Ruben, who always brings some sort of commitment to a role regardless of how big or small it is and this film is no exception to that role. However, I would say that the main MVP of the entire cast definitely has to be Kerry Condon as Kate, utilizes her dynamic presence as an actress to bring something magnetic to the table that lures you through her enthralling persona and the wonderful chemistry she shares with her co-stars.
Bottom line, F1: The Movie is a fantastic summer blockbuster that sets out for what it wants to accomplish and fully achieves it by being a spectacularly crafted, well-acted, good ol’ time at the movies. Do catch it on the biggest screen (preferably IMAX or Dolby) possible.
F1: The Movie is out in theaters now!
That is it for the review! I hope you all enjoyed reading it and please let me know if you plan on seeing this film! See you all next time! Later!