Review: ‘F1’ is an exhilarating ride without a higher gear
2025 / Dir. Joseph Kosinski
☆ 3.5/5
F1 The Movie straps moviegoers behind the wheel of the fastest cars in the world. Literally. In Joseph Kosinski’s follow-up to the sky-high thrills of Top Gun: Maverick, the camera finds a way into every corner and angle of these vehicles with impossible-seeming shots filmed during actual races that are absolutely exhilarating during every race sequence.
What’s between those pulse-pounding sequences is the stuff of every feel-good sports movie: the cocky young gun (Damson Idris), the woman in a man’s world trying to prove herself (Kerry Condon), the old-timer looking for a last shot at glory (Brad Pitt), the struggling team that needs a win to survive (run by Javier Bardem). There’s a reason these tropes are used so many times: they work. Everyone loves an underdog story, and this is one the whole family can get behind with a near-perfect cast, particularly Pitt, able to make these thinly-sketched characters feel alive.
F1 didn’t need to take risks or twist genre tropes to make Formula 1 racing look cool as hell and convert more Americans to the cause. And it was never going to capture the same emotional beats as the Top Gun sequel without having beloved characters to lean on. A tighter running time (it pushes three hours) would have helped take it to the next gear, however, and there’s plenty of chaff to cut. Who cares about a social media engagement side plot or Pitt’s awkward press conferences when the highlight is in-your-face race cars going over 200 mph?
But that’s why you should see this movie on the biggest screen possible (I attended an IMAX screening), if only to experience the booming Hans Zimmer score and the intensity of the racing scenes. Just do yourself a favor and watch a YouTube video of how Formula 1 works if you’re not already familiar, as the movie’s announcers can only explain so much before you start missing a lot of the intricacies of the sport.
Watch if you like: Top Gun: Maverick, feature-length Super Bowl commercials, and fast cars that go vroom vroom.