Speed, Emotion, and Cinema: My Review of the New F1 Movie

 

This is why I love cinema: it doesn’t matter where you come from, what your interests are, or what kind of life you’re living. But when you watch a good story, you start to understand everything — those core human emotions we all connect with: the sorrow of not achieving something, the fear when you get a glimmer of hope, the regret of losing in life, and yet, despite losing everything, the courage to keep moving towards a new life. These emotions are the same in all of us — whether it’s an F1 driver or you yourself.

Anyway, Brad Pitt’s new movie Formula One has finally released, I’ll just say — what an experience, man! What a film! I liked it so much that forget praising it, you should just give me a kiss — that’s how exhilarating it felt, something I haven’t experienced in years.

And the film’s art director — man,  he deserves all the praise — what a spectacular film he has made! There’s a kind of superficial richness you sometimes see, but this film has that true, effortless, classy richness with sleek visuals that make you think: damn, this is so good! I loved watching it.

About the Movie

Broadly, Brad Pitt plays a washed-up race car driver. He’s not someone who can sit still; his life is completely falling apart, scraping by with whatever he can. Then his old friend, played by Javier Bardem, hires him in desperation for his failing F1 team, which in itself is a huge risk for the team. On top of that, he has to inspire Damson Idris’ character, lead the team, and save it from being sold off for pennies before their last race. With all these concerns, survival itself becomes the goal — and if in the end they win and fulfill their dreams, what could be better?

The story gives everyone their own motivations, fears, and ambitions, which you should experience for yourself by watching the movie — that’s an experience in itself. The story is well-written, with many clichés, but they’re presented with such spice that it never disappoints. The movie has a powerful punch.

With Hans Zimmer’s music, you can’t go wrong. But this time, the hardness of the race car sounds alone gives you a gut-wrenching tension, making you feel like: God, what have you made! That ending, man — it’s not a traditional ending with a time-based race, taking DRS in the last fraction of a second, and then winning. There’s no minute detail about who overtook whom; instead, the final moments are spiritual, a coming-of-age experience for the character who’s been searching for that feeling his whole life — the feeling that made him run across the world, and he finally finds it here on screen. In the end, you witness that feeling, and trust me, it’s incredible.

What I loved is how the film uses Brad Pitt not as someone acting, but as someone effortlessly showing himself. He looks so cool that you end up idolizing him, thinking: if old age is like this, it’s worth it! Most guys don’t achieve their prime even in youth, but his prime just doesn’t end. Yet, the film beautifully weaves elements from the actor’s real life — like a failed marriage, kids who don’t know what’s happening, and an exaggerated take on his career — but it doesn’t show his career directly; it shows his approach to life experiences. It respects those side quests we all forget in our lives, reminding us why we work so hard in our careers: so we can take that vacation, get married, go somewhere, save up, buy something. Brad Pitt’s career took those side quests away from him, and eventually, he sets out to fulfill them.

Without spoiling, when you see Brad Pitt at the end, it’s a fantastic feeling that can only be witnessed, not described. The ending is both warming and exhilarating, showing the race in an electrifying way.

I like how the film uses so many loopholes of the game to create a completely new experience, and it even acknowledges it with lines you can quote: “Hope doesn’t win races; strategy does,” “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast,” “Get in the box.” And yet, the character is superstitious — it’s a classic package of everything: a proper mass-entertaining Hollywood blockbuster that makes you say, like we did as kids: “Man, Hollywood makes amazing movies!” This is peak cinema.

From Javier Bardem to Kerry Condon to Brad Pitt, everyone looks like effortless stars — not just actors, but true movie stars. I’m amazed at how many brands the filmmakers pulled in, along with Lewis Hamilton and other professional racers and actors who appear briefly, making you do a double take: “Wait, did I just see them?”

This movie is a proper crowd-pleaser in all the best ways, keeping you on the edge of your seat right till the end. Whether you’re interested in F1 or not, you’ll definitely enjoy it, saying: “I didn’t understand much, but I sure loved it!” And if you don’t get something, they explain it through commentary or visually, so it’s not tough to follow. Personally, I’ve gotten a bit into F1 myself — things are still in process, but yeah, the movie experience was one-of-a-kind cinema. I absolutely loved it, and it reminded me of the old Hollywood that used to blow my mind.

If you haven’t watched the F1 movie yet, please, please, please go watch it. And if you have, let me know your opinions in the comments.