In 2022, with Hollywood still reeling from the impact of COVID, Top Gun: Maverick came to the rescue. The film shook Hollywood like a sonic boom, overperforming at the box office while exceeding Top Gun’s fans’ lofty expectations. Director Joseph Kosinski took the bones of a 40-year-old IP and forged it into the action epic of its generation. 

This begs the million-dollar question: did Kosinski capture lightning in a bottle, or has he developed the golden touch? Moviegoers all around the globe will soon have the answer as Kosinski attempts to bring Top Gun: Maverick’s Mach 1 intensity to the world of Formula 1 racing with his latest film F1: The Movie. 

Now, after catching an early screening, one thing is crystal clear — Kosinski cracked the summer movie code. F1: The Movie is a must-see action blockbuster that demands to be viewed on the biggest screen available. 

In the early ’90s, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was an F1 star on the rise. He was poised to become one of the greats until a horrific crash sent his life off track — literally and figuratively. Now he’s more like a Ronin on wheels. He lives humbly in a van, drifting from one payday to the next. For Sunny, winning trophies matters less than the thrill of the race. You may find him working as a hired gun driving stock cars or racing dune buggies in Mexico.

Sonny must confront his past after his old pal Ruben (Javier Bardem) swaggers back into his life. A former racer himself, Ruben now owns a woefully awful F1 team. And with years of losses piling up, he faces losing his team (and financial ruin) unless they manage a win. With only nine races left in the season, he’s in desperate need of a world-class driver. 

Ruben lures Sonny in with the only pitch that matters to his former colleague: the chance to be the best in the world. Upon joining the team, Sonny butts heads with the team’s rising star Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). Joshua has all the talent in the world, but his ego prevents him from playing nice with others. Sonny and his reluctant protege have only a handful of races to put their differences aside or watch their chance at winning go up in flames.

I’ve never cared about racing and couldn’t tell you the rules governing F1 to save my life. And yet this film sunk its hooks into me right from the opening shot. It works like gangbusters because of its intense racing sequences, compelling underdog story, and knockout cast firing on all cylinders.

The film does an excellent job laying out F1’s rules so that even casual fans can follow along and grasp the stakes of each race. But it’s worth noting: this film offers a Looney Tunes version of Formula 1 racing. F1: The Movie is to the actual Formula 1 what WWE is to Olympic wrestling. Sonny bends the sport’s rules as though he were Dick Dastardly from Wacky Races. All the cartoonish antics may irk F1 purists, but if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief it’s all good fun.

F1’s cinematography is a modern miracle. The effort and ingenuity behind each race sequence are off the charts. Each time Sonny and Joshua tear down the track F1 delivers the most immersive and visceral cinematic racing ever put on screen. Kosinski and DP Claudio Miranda have levelled up the groundbreaking camerawork they developed on Top Gun: Maverick. They mount each car with tiny high-def cameras that capture all the in-your-face footage in stunning detail.

You feel the speed, intensity, and chaos of every second on the racetrack. And what’s most impressive, despite all the frenetic action you never lose track of what’s happening in the race. Cars swerve, crash, and careen across the screen at ungodly speeds, without overwhelming your senses. Kosinski and Miranda deserve every bit of praise for refining their exhilarating brand of controlled cinematic chaos.

F1’s high-octane race sequences will get your blood pumping. But its captivating performances will make your heart sing. Sonny is the epitome of cool, sauntering into scenes like an old west gunslinger riding into town to save the day. But behind his $500 shades lay the eyes of a ferocious competitor who’s spent a lifetime finding new ways to undermine his supreme talents. 

Idris is magnetic as the cocky up-and-comer nipping at Sonny’s heels. He’s a walking contradiction, vulnerable in a way that creeps up on you. He’s brash and blustery but also driven by the fear of losing his spot on the circuit. But the cast’s secret weapon is Kerry Condon as Kate, the team’s technical wizard. Kate’s greatest feat of engineering is preventing Sonny and Joshua’s fragile egos from self-destructing off the track.

Kosinski has cemented his status as an action auteur. And while he doesn’t match the cloud-scraping highs of Top Gun: Maverick, he still delivers one of 2025’s must-see experiences. F1: The Movie offers everything we want from a summer blockbuster; high-stakes drama, captivating performances, and all the theatre-rocking spectacle your brain can handle. 

F1: The Movie opens exclusively in theatres on Friday, June 27.