Joseph Kosinski’s “F1”
Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald
This movie is terrific! Even if like me you know nothing about auto racing (well, not “nothing” exactly--Pixar’s Cars 1 is after all one of my all time favorite movies) F1’s relentless focus on action, character building, and a recognizable story can't help but propel you along.
Everything is united by Hans Zimmer's pulsating soundtrack. (Zimmer’s soundtrack does remind me of the electronic soundtrack of an old European animated sci-fi adventure, Technotise, which I also recommend.)
F1’s action more than makes up for its familiar plot points. These include a washed up dude making a comeback (Pitt), a female engineer working tirelessly to prove her worth (Condon), a young whippersnapper driver learning humility (Idris), and an old and loyal friend (Bardem). It all sounds very by the book, but the total package including sound, color, editing, photography, special effects, location shooting, and acting all make it temporarily believable and at times absolutely thrilling.
Kudos to Brad Pitt for making his character interesting. He's evolving his "aging pretty boy" character with both humor and gravitas. This is more the Pitt of Ad Astra than the Pitt of Inglorious Basterds. Javier Bardem makes Pitt’s "old friend" character both attractive and understated. His character may not be as unique as Dune’s Stilgar, but it's still effective. Also, the director makes very effective use of brief views of character personality via smirks, eye rolling, and shrugs. This helps to flesh out the many supporting characters who might otherwise simply fade into the background.
But the story is not primarily why we enjoy films like this. The sound, editing, photography, and basic physicality of events distributed worldwide are incredibly engrossing, and I didn't see it in IMAX. How director Kosinski has effectively integrated all these parts despite the by-the-numbers plot is impressive. I've tagged this as a "popcorn" film, but in that category, it's at or very near the top of the list.
Review copyright 2025 by Dennis D. McDonald
