Movie Review: F1

 F1 (2025): ☆☆☆☆

Let me just start off by saying that this is the PERFECT "dad movie" for the summer. I can guarantee that the majority of dads everywhere will be picking this as their Father's Day movie night for many years to come. And I mean this in the best way possible when I say that this movie is going to absolutely thrive as a reoccurring rerun on TNT or FX!

Of course, being directed by Joseph Kosinski, there was plenty of buzz that this was his next  Top Gun: Maverick (very lowkey, niche film from summer of 2022). While Brad Pitt in a racecar did not live up to Tom Cruise in a fighter jet, this film still delivers some high-octane racing sequences that still give you that same feeling as the flight sequences in Maverick. Therefore, on that end, the comparisons were definitely well deserved.

Was this Brad Pitt's best performance? No, but I still would not have picked anybody else to play in Sonny Hayes's shoes. Damson Idris and Kerry Condon were the big standouts to me! I could definitely see why Idris was incredibly close to playing Black Panther; he has such talent that can take him very far. And Kerry Condon? It was bugging me the whole time during that movie what else she was in because of how familiar she sounded, only for me to realize as I'm writing this blog that she's the voice of Friday in the MCU! Watching her performance in this really made me want to watch more of her work because I became a big fan of her today!

The one thing I regret to say about this film is that I didn't get the performances out of Pitt and Javier Bardem that I was looking for. By no means did they give bad performances, because that is not the case. They both just needed a little more sauce to their characters, instead of just being present to deliver their lines with not a whole lot of personality or juice to it. This does not affect my opinion of them both as actors, though. They are still two of my favorites out there!

This is an absolute MUST SEE in IMAX. The scope of this picture feels almost endless at some times; and being paired with that audio was a huge plus! I was really on the fence between seeing this film in IMAX or Dolby, but I can safely say that I was happy with the decision of IMAX due to the killer sound it still delivers! If you want to truly recognize those Top Gun: Maverick comparisons, this is the route to go.

From the incredible soundtrack, the massive scope, the exhilarating racing sequences, and Pitt being present himself, Joseph Kosinski delivers another perfect "dad film!" As my good friend of mine once said, Kosinski needs to finish the Dad Trilogy with one more story centered around vehicles!