My wife and I went to see F1 yesterday. I was skeptical of the casting of Brad Pitt, so had low expectations. Boy, was I surprised! The cinematography is unbelievable, as is the sound. The in-car of a Porsche GT3 RS at Daytona under the lights is breathtaking. Formula one has never looked so good. The series obviously was involved with filming, as nearly all of the current drivers, as well as some team principals and technical directors appear as themselves. Even more surprising to me, was the detailed technical dialogue about the cars, particularly aero. it is likely that the vast majority of folks who see the film will care less (or even understand what is being said). For car/racing junkies like me, it is awesome and positively adds to the realism.

The casting is really quite good, and is an international in scope (as is appropriate for Formula One). I was most surprised that Brad Pitt's role actually fits him in the context of the film, and he was really believable as a driver. Who knew.

The plot is, at times, maybe a little hokey but both of us (my wife is a car/racing junkie too -- lucky for me!) really enjoyed the film. I liked so much that I will likely go see it again. One bit of warning, the cinematography and sound is so spectacular, that I doubt that it will transfer well to a smaller screen, so if at all possible, see it in the theater.

Being an F1 fan I was also pleasantly surprised by this movie. As stated the plot is a little far fetched but the casting, including numerous drivers, etc. was spot on. We saw it in IMAX, which definitely enhanced the experience.

I liked the emphasis on team tactics. As a casual viewer of motorsports, it's not always apparent to me how teammates interact while on the track. This movie puts it front and center, making it a bit more understandable to someone like me.

If I had a complaint about the movie, it's the volume of dialogue. It was much too loud and actually hurt my ears a couple of times.

quote:

Originally posted by tartan427:
Even more surprising to me, was the detailed technical dialogue about the cars, particularly aero. it is likely that the vast majority of folks who see the film will care less (or even understand what is being said). For car/racing junkies like me, it is awesome and positively adds to the realism.

I love all types of racing. Loved the movie. Was what she was saying about aerodynamics and the turbulence factual or just BS for the film? I suppose they could have a real F1 engineer advise them. Just wondering.

quote:

I was skeptical of the casting of Brad Pitt,

Brad Pitt is a good actor and good in pretty much everything does across the spectrum.

As for the movie you had me at GT3 RS sound.

The movie was very well done.
Definitely best in IMAX, which may end after Thursday with ... another ... new Superman movie.

My review on Letterboxd:

F1 2025

★★★

Watched 01 Jul 2025

LastCubScout’s review published on Letterboxd:

Now I really want to see a movie about a pit crew striving to be the best, fastest, and most efficient in the world. All the racing would just be in the background. Can they spin-off a story like they did with John Wick: Ballerina?

F1 is closer to what I thought the Gran Turismo movie should've been like, with more concentration on design and technical details. This film has a solid momentum and energy to it. The race sequences contain some really dynamic cinematography. That Hans Zimmer soundtrack is pretty bumpin' too. At its center is a story that didn't grip me at all. I've never been a big professional racing fan, because what do I care about a bunch of rich fat cats that have nothing better to do than sponsor and drive a bunch of custom lightweight cars around in circles for hours at a time? In Joseph Kosinski's Top Gun 2, Tom Cruise had to lead a bunch of young squadron mates to bomb a heavily-defended nuclear base in "Remote Evil Foreign Country." In Kosinski's F1, Javier Bardem could lose his racing team and Brad Pitt will be fired—who gives a rat's ass? There's no real stakes.

Brad Pitt and Damson Idris make for some dull leads. All they do is strut around and trade old man/young kid barbs like in the Unstoppable parody trailer on SNL. Idris just seems cocky, and you never get a sense that he has any real racing talent. I've always said that Pitt only puts in meaty performances when he's unshaven, so this is definitely one of his more tepid roles. This doesn't achieve the sense of atmosphere, speed, and emotion as much as Ford v Ferrari or Rush or capture the feel of actual racing as the old school Grand Prix '66 or Le Mans '71, but at least this is way more fulfilling than Driven and Days of Thunder—in this day and age, that's good enough for me.