F1
"formula one is a team sport. it always was."
cars (2006) walked so that f1 (2025) could run.
joseph kosinki really has a knack for making these maverick veteran returning to their job stories that somehow become my movie of the summer. this movie did a pretty good job of capturing the exhilaration of an f1 race while utilising the hollywood camera to smooth over the more boring technical parts of it to make it more accessible to a wider audience. honestly, i wouldn't be surprised it this would go on to become a lot of people's gateway into keeping up with f1.
the comparisons to top gun: maverick are so valid here, and usually i would attack the lack of originality, but i can't just help but be so sold by this one. i believe it's very important to go into this in the cinema not as a movie critic but as a movie enjoyer. there's something about the aging has-been of their trade returning to teach an egotistical hotshot and then they fight a lot thing that i like. however, i still have a bone to pick with the whole love interest issue kosinki has. they did my girl kerry condon so dirty here!!!! there's no need for her character to perform a complete 180° from irish girlboss former aerospace engineer who's too tough to be charmed to mooning and melting on the biceps of brad pitt. kosinki still has a ways to go on polishing and fleshing out his characters; i wouldn't mind more emotional depth to them.
as always, the sound design and action sequences MADE this movie and to me cancelled out a lot of critique of the characters here. those grand prix scenes were just so carefully crafted and immersive, reminiscent of how kosinki did maverick except this time with cars. this is one of those movies that just has to be experienced in a cinema for the full scale of the sound design and the amazing synth score (from the king hans zimmer himself) to quake your bones. it is quite the transcendental experience. there's this one scene at the ending where brad pitt is "flying" that truly took my breath away. the engines and brakes and cheers from the crowd that just peters out... again, transcendental. i'd be so freaking mad if this does not score a best sound at the oscars.
i don't watch f1 very much, but i know enough to appreciate all the little cameos and references made in here. love that they made lewis hamilton the final boss. also love toto wolff actually having a speaking role here. i'm also pretty sure that all that cheating would NOT go in real life and the FIA would probably be fining them left and right. also learnt so much f1 lingo like YES i finally know what DRS and slipstreams are.
also javier bardem is aging like fiiiiiine wine