‘F1 The Movie’ Is One Adrenaline-Filled Feast For The Senses That’s Not To Be Missed – Review

It’s easy for one to imagine the roar of a race car’s engine.

You can close your eyes, conjure up its sound in your head, and envision that you’re hearing it loud and up close. But the experience of feeling it — as if you were sitting within the cramped cockpit of a Formula 1 car — is something that is obviously difficult to recreate.

However, such isn’t the case for Warner Bros. and Apple Films’ latest joint endeavor, the highly anticipated F1 blockbuster film. For this movie isn’t just a mere retelling of the drama that goes on within the F1 grid — but it puts you right in the throes of the racing track itself. 

Perhaps it’s no surprise that the film was able to achieve such a feat, considering the fact that director Joseph Kosinski stands at the helm of the project. Kosinski himself is no stranger to capturing such thrilling moments on the big screen, given what he’s accomplished up in the sky with Top Gun: Maverick, or even in the fictional realms of Oblivion and Tron: Legacy. 

Yet what he set out to do in F1 was inevitably an even more difficult task, given that it had to juggle the responsibility of adapting a fan-favorite sport that many could nitpick for its realism or even for its lengthy runtime per match. Fortunately, the execution was nothing less than spectacular. F1 is as stylish as any film can get — delivering a top-notch, heart-pounding, and undeniably exhilarating cinematic experience that doesn’t sacrifice its substance over its style. 

At the center of its storyline is world-renowned movie star Brad Pitt, who stars as the fictional ‘has-been that never was’ driver Sonny Hayes, and rising talent Damson Idris, who portrays the talented yet immature rookie Joshua Pearce. Both Pitt and Idris’s journey over the course of the movie is quite simple to follow, tackling themes of passion, potential, and maturity against the backdrop of a multi-million dollar sports drama. 

Though its narrative is fairly straightforward (if not face value) at times, it’s still compelling enough to get audiences invested in their characters, as we get to root for them (and even jeer at them) just as if they were real-life F1 team drivers. Pitt, in particular, elevates the script that he was given to deliver several moments wherein you could feel the sincerity and desperation of his actions, even in a particular moment of catharsis by the film’s finale.

All their work does wonders to give an unexpected sense of heart for a film, such as this, working effectively to complement the real superstar of the film — its jaw-dropping technical aspects. A lot can be said about the masterful cinematography, practical effects, and the immersive set design, which perfectly recreated what many F1 fans are already familiar with. And while such aspects serve as a feast for the eyes, it’s really the stupendous sound design that allows the film to feel larger than life.

The mere experience of witnessing all these Grand Prix racing sequences come to life on the biggest screen possible is as astonishing as you’d expect, and is arguably even more exciting than watching a live race broadcast. With every roar that comes from the push of a gas pedal, it elicited a spurt of goosebumps to sprout from one’s skin, highlighting the physical rush of excitement that such elements allowed you to feel.

The incredible work of the team at Skywalker Sound, with Gary Rizzo and Juan Peralta leading the team, really placed an emphasis on the film’s immersive sonic experience truly capturing the intensity and speed of Formula 1 racing. But who could forget the pulse-pounding work of acclaimed composer Hans Zimmer on the movie’s original score, which could easily be considered as one of his most inspired sets of compositions in years (aside from his work on the beloved Dune series).

Zimmer’s sonic prowess not only heightened the excitement of every vignette on screen, but also amplified the palpable emotions of the character’s journeys within the film with seamless precision. Nothing felt too distracting, rather it acted in perfect harmony with how everything else played out –– only standing out when it needed to be telling its own story through the majority of the racing sequences. There lies a special rush that one could feel from his work here, even as it never sacrificed the more elegant aspects of its compositions.

However, Zimmer’s work not only extended to the original score of the film, but also to the production of several key tracks on the film’s star-studded compilation soundtrack. In the same spirit of such an exciting sport, nearly every original song that was featured in the movie captured that high-octane spirit that was true to the heart of F1. 

Key tracks like “Lose My Mind” by Don Toliver & Doja Cat, “Messy” by ROSÉ, and “Just Keep Watching” by Tate McRae worked in the same vein of adding more impact to certain emotional beats of the film, whether it highlighted a burgeoning romance, a rising conflict, or even raising the stakes of a certain scenario. Heck, even Ed Sheeran’s “Drive” made for a strong needle drop by the film’s end credits.

With all that one could take away from experiencing F1 on the biggest screen possible, there is no doubt that both Kosinski, Pitt, and the rest of the film’s cast and crew were able to execute one hell of an adrenaline-filled feast for the senses. Whether it was from the visual or sonic aspects, nearly every bit of your senses was stimulated to perfect — placing you on the edge of your seat as you felt each race run through your veins. 

It’s the rare type of blockbuster that leaves you shaken until the very last moment, proving just how fantastic of a job Kosinski and his team have done in recreating that very same rush that any F1 fan could feel from a real-life race. Recreation doesn’t quite cut how one could describe it, but this film allows you to relive moments that we’ve never experienced — just by how much it allows you to feel.

F1 The Movie is now showing in cinemas nationwide, beginning June 25, 2025, onwards.

Check out the official trailer for F1 The Movie below:

Listen to “Lose My Mind” by Don Toliver and Doja Cat from the F1 Original Soundtrack below: