Review - F1 The Movie

Every so often another motor racing movie hits the silver screen; Grand Prix, Le Mans and Rush are three that spring to mind, but July saw the latest and probably the best so far released; F1 The Movie. Although the plot is pure Hollywood fiction, the action is authentic with racing photography shot at Silverstone and other global venues during 2023/24 World Championship seasons with full collaboration of the FIA. Racing sequences were expertly edited and adapted from real-life grand prix, with F1 teams and drivers making cameo appearances throughout These personalities included Lewis Hamilton, who is also a producer and driving force behind the film.

Due to the complexity of current F1 cars, the cars driven by the actors in the film are based on F2-engine chassis designed and built by Mercedes, with authentic F1 wings and wheels plus high-tech cameras to capture action inside and outside the cockpit.Directed by Joseph 'Mission Impossible' Kosinski, theme music is by Hans Zimmer, with Brad Pitt and Damson Idris starring. To date the film has grossed over $600 million worldwide, making it Apple's highest-earning movie.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films for Apple Studios and distributed by Warner Brothers and Apple, the enigmatic film includes some spectacular action crash sequences and the busy stunt drivers, and driver-coaches are former F2 and Superleagueprotagonists Luciano Bacheta and Craig Dolby, the latter is also a sometime GT competitor: "Brad Pitt is a far better actor than driver!” I found the 155-minute movie highly entertaining, which I watched at the tastefully refurbished 115-year-old Dome Cinema on Worthing's seafront!

Ken Davies ©

Images courtesy of Apple Studios

Captions:  Production photographs taken at British Grand Prix Silverstone 2023/4