F1: The Movie is one of those films that has to be seen on the big screen. The characters of the F1 drivers are poles apart and fascinating. That and many other plot points add to the tension and drama. The finale is exhilarating and would lead to excitement in cinemas. On the flipside, it’s too long (155 minutes) and stagnates in between. It’s good that they haven’t dumbed down on dialogues. But most moviegoers are not F1 fans and in some scenes, they might struggle to decipher the dialogues and race-related terms. Lastly, it reminds one of Ford v Ferrari. As a result, the charm of watching a race film is diluted to an extent; also, that was a much better film. Brad Pitt, as always, is effortlessly charming and shines in the emotional scenes. Javier Bardem is apt for the part and performance-wise, he’s first-rate. Damson Idris (Joshua Pearce) dominates in places, despite the presence of such big actors. Kerry Condon (Kate) and Sarah Niles (Bernadette; Joshua’s mother) are memorable while Tobias Menzies (Peter Banning; investor), Callie Cooke (Jodie), Samson Kayo (Cash; Joshua’s manager), Kim Bodnia (Kaspar), Will Merrick (Nickleby) and Abdul Salis (Dodge Dowda) do well. All in all, F1: The Movie is a film made for the big screen. Don’t wait for its OTT premiere; this one is worth a movie ticket, especially that of an IMAX screen.
My rating – *** ยฝ out of 5!