Brad Pitt's 'F1' is 'Top Gun: Maverick' with cars — I'm so glad I didn't wait for it to hit Apple TV Plus
I get it. A movie ticket is expensive. I signed up for AMC Stubs instead of buying a single ticket for "F1" because it was a dollar more to buy a movie subscription than a single movie ticket.
But I got my money's worth and then some.
The big screen was the perfect setting for watching Brad Pitt drive a bespoke multimillion-dollar race car at full speed. The sound was enveloping, and I could feel it physically rattle my bones.
Don't get me wrong. This movie isn't perfect. And while it's comparable to Joseph Kosinski's other high-speed blockbuster, "Top Gun: Maverick," I won't pretend that "F1" is the better movie.
Despite its flaws, though, this, like "Top Gun: Maverick," is the type of movie that exemplifies an experience that only a movie theater can provide. It is a true summer blockbuster.
But if you're not sold yet, here's what "F1" is about and why it is a must-watch in theaters this summer.
"F1" (also known as "F1: The Movie") stars Brad Pitt as over-the-hill racing driver Sonny Hayes.
Hayes was formerly a top prospect in Formula 1, but is a gun for hire at this point in his career. He's brought onto teams to go out, win a race and then move on to the next challenge.
But when his old friend and former driver Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) comes to Sonny with an offer to race in F1 again, Sonny can't bring himself to turn it down.
There are just a few problems. First, Sonny isn't the lead driver on this team — that honor belongs to rookie driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris).
More importantly, though, the car is awful, despite the efforts of APXGP's talented technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon). That will make it difficult for Sonny to finish in the top 10, let alone win a race, which is exactly what he needs to do for his friend Ruben to keep control of APXGP.
Let's get the bad (or rather, mediocre) things about this movie out of the way first.
The story has been done before, and the dialogue is sometimes cliche. The romance subplot in this movie will either work for you (which it did, for the most part) or feel forced.
If you're an F1 fan like me, there's plenty about the racing itself that isn't exactly accurate either. Race conditions are occasionally sensationalized for dramatic effect, the tactics of Sonny and APXGP probably wouldn't be tolerated as long as they are, etc.
But the racing is practically done. These scenes are filmed in real racing cars (Pitt and Idris are in modified F2 cars made in collaboration with the Mercedes F1 team and Carlin Motorsport), against real F1 cars driven by real F1 drivers on real F1 race tracks.
That's not to say there aren't any CGI effects, but the practical filmmaking of this film is a spectacle.
That spectacle pays off. At more than one point in the movie, I saw people around me literally on the edge of their seats. Some silently cheered when our protagonists made a clever move on the track.
It also makes the crashes feel real, and as an F1 fan, I was surprised how much I was moved in one moment where a crash puts a driver's life in danger.
So yes, this movie is coming to Apple TV Plus. You could just watch this incredible, 156-minute-long commercial for Formula 1 from the comfort of your home.
But like with "Top Gun: Maverick," this latest Kosinski film is all about the spectacle — the set pieces, the stunning visuals, the incredible sound — and that's meant for the cinema, not the home theater.
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.
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