2 days ago
'F1' Onscreen: Critics Weigh In on Brad Pitt's Racing Blockbuster
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With less than a week left for the release of the Formula One-based movie, F1, fan excitement is at an all-time high, with many awaiting a glimpse of what they could expect.
Thanks to the press screenings for critics and audiences before the movie's release on June 25 (June 27 for North America), fans can now walk into the theaters knowing what to expect. F1's recent star-studded premiere in New York saw Formula One drivers, team principals, Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, and the crew make headlines with their appearances. However, what matters next are the reviews.
IGN
Starting with IGN, critic Clint Cage said that F1 has elevated the standard of sports movies. He said:
"As a sports movie following some pretty tried and true tactics, F1 ups its game at every stage of things. This won't win it any awards for originality, but it still adds up to a real win."
Brad Pitt, star of the upcoming Formula One based movie, Apex, and Damson Idris, co-star of the upcoming Formula One based movie, Apex, walk on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain...
Brad Pitt, star of the upcoming Formula One based movie, Apex, and Damson Idris, co-star of the upcoming Formula One based movie, Apex, walk on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 09, 2023 in Northampton, England. MoreAddressing the work of Director Joseph Kosinski, he added:
"On a technical level, F1 is impeccably put together. Kosinski and his frequent collaborator, Academy Award winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda, put cameras in just... all the places. Picking up where they left off with Top Gun: Maverick, F1 is filled with impossible angles and quick, robotic pans that make us feel like we're at the mercy of these rocketship machines"
F1 aims to showcase the premier class of motorsport to a wider audience in an authentic way, and IGN's review hints it has achieved that goal. Cage added:
"There's a deep cultural familiarity with what a Formula One race is supposed to look like onscreen. F1: The Movie gets that too. One shot puts you intimately and dangerously into the driver's seat while the next feels broadcast-worthy.
"The editing does the same as well, thanks to Stephen Mirrione, another member of the pit crew with an Oscar in the garage. F1 is cut beautifully and peacefully in stretches, chaotically and nervously in others."
He added:
"All the pieces that you'd expect are there - and, again, plussing up the 'familiar' is the best thing Kosinski and his crew have done with F1. They've built a super-charged vehicle that can outdo the competition on almost every level - give or take a two-and-a-half-hour-plus runtime."
Rotten Tomatoes
With a score of 88% on the Tomatometer, F1 seems to have made its mark. Here are a few reviews by critics:
Samuel Leggett Jr. stated: "It has it all, amazing camera work, astonishing racing scenes and locations, a great cast, & electric chemistry from Idris and Pitt! This film is truly one of the best films this year & one of the best racing films of all time. Will leave you breathless!"
Doug Jamieson wrote: "Visually, it's undeniably impressive. But strip away the carbon fibre, and what remains is a movie filled with clichés, weak character arcs, and a script that strains to be inspirational while instead delivering a lot of empty noise."
Stephanie Zacharek stated: "Brad Pitt, at 61, has finally aged into roles like these. And sometimes, as F1 proves, they're the best thing that can happen to a guy."
BBC
Nicholas Barber of the BBC described F1 as "the slick and shiny new summer popcorn film." However, he pointed out that "the biggest issue with F1, though, is not its insistence on showing its leading man in a flattering light, but its equivalent, fawning attitude towards Formula One itself."
Comparing Kosinski's work on Top Gun: Maverick, he added:
"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, and never persuades you that Ruben's team are more worthy of support than their competitors. I was more invested in the podrace in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace than any of the races here."
Rating F1 two out of five stars, Barber said the movie is best-suited for F1 fans. He concluded:
"Making a film about a series of long races just wasn't a bright idea. Formula One enthusiasts may disagree, and they may be delighted that their beloved motorsport has been put on the big screen in such a laudatory fashion. Everyone else: this is not where you want to be."
Attractions Magazine
Connor Webber of Attractions Magazine has praised F1, likening it to Kosinski's work on Top Gun: Maverick. He stated:
"What the 'F1: The Movie' team was able to accomplish with the camera work and editing is unreal. My heart dropped watching the camera move while the car is racing at 200 mph. There are no punches thrown in this film, but it has some of the best action in any movie this year."
Awarding F1 with a score of 4.5/5, he added:
"Just like 'Top Gun: Maverick,' 'F1: The Movie' never forgets the human element: the heart, the relationships that make the spectacle matter. The performances here aren't just passengers in the ride - they steer it (hehe)."
