Gran Turismo

I didn't know much about this movie before I watched it, except that it was based on a video racing game. To be honest, I expected something more akin to the cheesy Fast and Furious movies. I had set a very low bar of anticipation.

With that in mind, the reality of this movie was an enormously pleasant surprise: a fascinating true life story that magnificently captured the adrenaline buzz and accomplishments of elite motorsport.

The racing scenes, and there's a lot of them, were masterfully created. I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat. It was an emotional rollercoaster; one minute I was grinning with euphoria, then gripping my hands in fear, then I was giggling out loud with a happy release of nervous energy.

Being a true life story, it couldn't be spoiled by poor plot writing. I loved the uplifting, feel-good, tale of the talented underdog risking all to achieve his dreams. Yet it wasn't a cliché because it was real; the movie had no sense of being formulaic or contrived.

The acting was spot on, the characters perfectly well developed, and the special effects were both awe inspiring and seamless.

The movie was enthralling from start to finish. It's absolutely a contender for being my favourite movie of the year. It's also one of my favourite motorsports movies of all time: and that's a compliment I don't give easily. How did this have so little buzz and anticipation before it was released?

I watched Gran Turismo early as part of Regal's Mystery Movie Monday. For some perspective, I've never watched professional racing or played Gran Turismo. And I'm generally not a fan of based-on-true-story against-all-odds movies. They're usually all the same.

The reason I say all this is to illustrate that the movie had to be really good to win me over. And it definitely does. Even though it goes through many of the same motions as these types of movies, it does it all so well. I was fully invested in the story, the characters and their outcomes. My crowd was really into it as well.

I can't speak to how the movie translates the game, but they creatively incorporate some cool visuals. It helps it feel like a video game movie as opposed to a movie about a video game. The race scenes are awesome, you really feel like you're there. I like the cast, with the two leads being the obvious standouts. And there are some really heartfelt moments.

I had a great time with Gran Turismo. It's definitely a movie you want to see on a premium screen (IMAX, Dolby Atmos, etc). I think most people will like it, gamer or not, race fan or not, old, young, etc.

(1 viewing, early screening Mystery Movie Monday 7/24/2023)

As a side note, I'm really hoping we've turned a corner with video game movies, similar to what happened to super hero movies in the early 2000's. I really enjoyed Sonic 1 and 2, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie is in contention for my favorite movie of the year.

There is still so much potential. If they continue down the super hero path, then someone like Christopher Nolan will take a property and show what can truly be done. My dream would be for Metroid to be the Dark Knight trilogy of video game movies.

Gran Turismo is a terrifically executed sports movie, fizzing with energy and momentum from start to finish.

It follows the story of Jann Mardenborough, a gamer who always dreamed of becoming a professional racer. Thanks to the Gran Turismo academy he suddenly finds himself with a chance to make his dream a reality. It's a wild story and the fact that it is based on real events is astounding.

Even though the real events are unbelievable, the story beats are all pretty familiar and follow the usual sports movie formula. There's the underdog, the jaded mentor, the belligerent rival, the customary montage. None of this is ground breaking but it is all well presented and packaged up. The fact it is based on real events adds that bit of extra excitement and besides, who doesn't love an underdog story?

The direction from Blomkamp is crisp and clean yet also energetic and chaotic, which makes for a visually engaging film. You really feel the excitement and thrill and danger of the racing, which was crucial to establish and get across, and was handled well.

In terms of performances, Archie Madekwe is a really solid lead, bringing a strong emotional presence and charisma to his character. David Harbour brings his character to life perfectly with a thoroughly engaging performance, and Djimon Hounsou is a scene stealer with some of the more emotional baggage.

I wasn't expecting to like this movie as much as I did, but I was impressed! It has an unbelievable story to tell and it does it very effectively. A lot of it feels quite derivative of the underdog sports film genre, but the great direction and solid performances raise this film up above many of its peers, resulting in a thoroughly entertaining movie.

Well, I love the game, so I knew I was going to go watched it, and it's really good if you are a fan of the game. The idea that you can make playing Gran Turismo so real that you would get recruited to drive an actual race car like it was your PlayStation is a Gamer's fantasy and it comes alive in a movie that's not a fantasy but a legit true story.

Gran Turismo has got everything you need dramatically for a sports movie. The Trailers leading up to this film don't do it justice. It's got far more heart to it as it unfolds an amazing underdog story.

Like the game it's based on it showcase every aspect of racing but now with a more personal touch.

It's no Need for Speed but it's one of the best games adapted to a movie ever.

Went into this not knowing the background of this film but came out pleasantly surprised with a great race car driving film but also a great video game film.

If it weren't a true story, the concept would have been cool but definitely not believable and therefore no where near as good as it is.

The racing and the direction taken to display the races was particularly impressive and at no point was it unclear what was going on. The acting was ok to begin with but got better as the film went on, especially with the emotional scenes. For me Harbour was the best actor in Gran turismo.

The script was fine but did it's job well of portraying the stakes in high intensity scenes.

Not really too much to fault as a true story racing film.