#REVIEW: “F1”

By Mr. Will Wong

Joseph Kosinski fires again with F1, delivering big action, big emotions and big stakes in one of this Summer’s most anticipated Blockbusters!

At the center of the story here is Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) who was on the peak of superstardom in the world of professional racing some 30 years ago. A catastrophic accident left him with a career-ending injury and since then, he’s led a nomadic life.  An old friend in Ruben (Javier Bardem) who also is a former driver, is ready to take a big gamble on Sonny to make a huge comeback. Ruben owns the APXGP Team, the car manufacturer looking to take a chomp at the likes of Ferrari in the game. With middling results at best, he knows what APX needs is a gutsy driver to give the brand some starpower.

Sonny accepts the challenge, but this is far from warmly-received. For one, he’s opinionated and difficult, which makes mentoring up-and-coming teammate Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) a big challenge as the two face generational and stylistic clashes. Adamant that changes need to be made with the construction of APX’s vehicles, Sonny needs to overcome his misunderstood delivery to Technical Director Kate (Kerry Condon) to help APX get to the finish line first in winning their first ever Grand Prix. Despite having the talent and fire as a duo, we wonder if the APX team will self-destruct with all the internal feuding, on and off the racetrack.

Kosinski, who brought us the masterpiece TOP GUN: MAVERICK repeats the feat again here. Together with Screenwriter Ehren Kruger, they are able to tell a story that contains many technical specifics, making it easy to follow, immersing us completely into this high-adrenaline world.  Admittedly knowing very little about the sport, by the end of it all I was stressing about “soft tires” and mechanical breakdowns! And that’s how you know we were won.

Kosinski teams-up with Cinematographer Claudio Miranda again after big success with Maverick and they propel us right into each heart-pounding moment again. The Film is spellbinding. Not to mention a fantastic Soundtrack with artists like Doja Cat, Tate McRae, Rosé, and Chris Stapleton, plus a sublime electronic Score by Hans Zimmer.

Academy Award-winner Pitt, to standard, is astoundingly good here, taking a character who is carrying years of disappointment, but also potential with him.  He enters the scene as a fish out of water in his very own sport and is captivating.  He’s hot-headed, yet cool and we could not help but become overwhelmed with emotion as the Film enters its final lap.

While romantic storylines oftentime feel slapped-on in this genre, Condon‘s Kate feels just right. She’s a strong, confident boss who also has a bit of softness to her. Her storyline with Sonny always sees her as an equal and this is refreshing. And while Idris might not be a familiar name to some, his profile will see a huge boost after this. While it takes some time to warm-up to Joshua, we were won over by the end and cheering for him too.  We see big Franchise potential here.

This is the quintessential Summer Blockbuster and we choose to go big and we’re not going home! Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release F1 in theatres Friday, June 27, 2025.