Plot Summary – In the 1990s, Sonny Hayes was Formula 1’s most promising driver until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team convinces Sonny to return to racing and become the best in the world. 

★★★★½  

Watched 08 Jul 2025

This is why I go to the cinema. For one hundred and fifty minutes, you get to be transported into a different world. Nobody in the modern day does this as well as Joseph Kosinski – he did it with Tron: Legacy , Top Gun: Maverick , and now this. This movie is an achievement in entertainment. Nothing has come close to this in terms of pure blockbuster quality in the last few years. Every frame, every shot by Claudio Miranda, every beat of Hans Zimmer’s score, every smile from Damson Idris, every whir of the engine is designed meticulously to thrill. And, boy, is this movie thrilling.

Brad Pitt is his ever-charming self here and even in his seventh decade manages to carry this film with so much charisma and pure physical force. Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon were also so convincing and energizing. Damson Idris took me by complete surprise, though – this film is the making of a star, and I am very excited to see where he goes next. The writing is pretty fun, I found myself laughing a lot throughout the movie which I definitely didn’t expect. It manages to maintain a frenetic pace throughout but knows when to give the characters a beat and how to set them back and chart a comeback. It flows so well and you really don’t notice the chunky runtime.

Fans of the sport may leave disappointed since it strained credulity even for a casual like me, but is the point of going to the cinema accuracy? Don’t we have enough media covering the sport in a tactical, realistic and journalistic way? We go to the theater to have fun, and this movie is the most fun I’ve had in theaters in a long time. I was on the edge of my seat, with sweaty palms and gobs of popcorn for the whole runtime, and the group of thirteen people I went with at the biggest IMAX screen in our state were all exhilarated as well. That’s the point of cinema. This movie is the biggest argument for theaters in years. DO NOT MISS IT.