F1 Movie Is Visual Adrenalin!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Genre: Action, Sports

Director: Joseph Kosinski (previous works include Top Gun: Maverick and Oblivion)

Main Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem

Release Date: June 27, 2025 (United States)

The upcoming movie "F1" centers on Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a former Formula 1 driver who, after a career-ending crash in the 1990s, is convinced to come out of retirement. He joins a struggling fictional F1 team, APXGP, owned by his old friend Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem). Sonny's mission is to mentor the team's young prodigy, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), as they strive to elevate the team and compete at the highest level of the sport. The film explores the dynamics between the veteran and the rookie, and the challenges of competitive racing.

Of course Brad Pitt stands out in this movie. It is hard, and in a lot of case impossible to out-act Pitt. He is the driving force behind this film. Heart and Soul may be too on the nose but overall, this is a Brad Pitt movie. Symbolic to the characters that both Brad (Sonny) and Damson Idris (Joshua Pearce) play. This seems like the symbolic passing of the torch in Hollywood from one up-in-comer young heart throb to the next. Watching Sonny try to guide Joshua felt like watching Pitt prepare Idris to what his life is likely to become and to warn him of the speed bumps that are along the way, hoping to help him avoid possible crash and/or disaster. The only other stand out performance was of course from Bardem, as Ruben. The chemistry between two titans in Hollywood was what lit the fuse to an overall great story.

Kosinski’s use of angels and explosive close ups made for a jaw dropping visual adrenalin. There were moments where the movie shined bright and slowly fade to a gritty almost dirty atmosphere that would push and pull you into different moods. The overall plot was not something completely original. There have been plenty of films where a fallen hero returns to guide a new generation even with car racing but the writing of this film was amazing and uplifting, you quickly get on board with the main character and are willing to go where ever they are taking you. There were some predictable campy moments but not to the point where it took me out, just felt like a throw or nod back to films made by Jerry Bruckheimer in the 90s.

The pacing of the film was complimented by the racing, if that makes sense. Even the slow moments felt quick and the fast moments were slowed down in such a unique way that you didn’t get trapped in a ton of visual nonsense. The music and sound designs were able to capture the perfect tone of the overall story brilliantly.

There were some redundant moments, and scenes that could have been cut, to save time. I would say that this movie could have been 15 minutes shorter and worked just as good, if not better. The only real cliché was the choices made by the Kate character played by Kerry Condon. The typical reluctant love interest was projected from miles away. The movie seemed to sway back and forth one whether our hero Sonny would have his glory or pass on the glory. There was just one moment with a character played by Kim Bodnia (Kaspar) with competing team managers that I thought would come back around but for him, never did. I can’t say anything bad about the technical aspect, the sound mixing and visuals were almost perfect.

Over all, this movie delivers. Originally, I had no interest in seeing this film. As I said, Formula 1 isn't for me. It wasn't until I saw the trailer that Damson Idris was in this movie that I paid attention. By the end of the trailer I was hooked. I am a Brad Pitt fan and I loved Idris's performance in Snowfall. This is what motivated me to go, Brad was what kept me in my seat. This movie is a great time at the theater. A story that resonates with a lot of people and fulfillment at the end. For a person going in who love racing you will probably walk out thinking, this was a masterpiece. If you’re like me and no little to nothing about Formula One and the racing culture beyond Fast and Furious, you’ll still come out a little wiser and have more of a respect for the art, skill, and danger involved in the sport. See it in IMAX.