(may contain spoilers)
Douban rating: 8.6
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon
Douban Comments: “I watched it twice already, and the feeling when it ended was just one word: awesome! This is the kind of high-energy movie that has to be seen on the big screen. The 300 million budget was well spent – some scenes made me feel like I was actually in the car.
Fans will love spotting all the Easter eggs, and even people who aren’t fans yet might get hooked after watching. It really captures the excitement and luxury of this top-tier sport.
Hans Zimmer’s music was incredible, especially that final sequence where the soundtrack syncs with the heartbeat – totally unforgettable. Not much else to say – I’m heading in for my third watch!”
“This film has already made it into my top 10 movies of the year. Trust me on this: if you loved Top Gun: Maverick or Ford v Ferrari, you’re going to love F1 even more.
If you have the chance, go see it in IMAX. It shows you what a truly immersive audio-visual experience feels like – it pulls you straight into the cockpit, and with every roar of the engine, you race alongside the main character all the way to the finish line.”
“For racing fans, the abstract jokes might still get a laugh – but the film really drops the ball with its female characters. The first female engineer could’ve shined just by showing her professional skill and personal charisma (there are several real-life examples in the paddock), but instead they forced in an awkward romance and even a pointless sex scene with the driver.
The only female tire changer? Her first moment on screen shows her fumbling and dragging the team down. And the second male lead’s mother? The moment she sees Brad Pitt, she turns into a shallow fangirl – it’s just baffling.
Sure, the IMAX visuals and sound are impressive, but the movie is riddled with tired stereotypes and a race plot that’s hard to make sense of. It feels like they tried to polish a mess with flashy effects. Honestly, the real F1 paddock is far more exciting and respectful than what this film delivers.”
“The film shows signs of aging, but also a kind of adaptability – it knows how to stay flexible in a world ruled by younger, faster digital trends and streaming logic. The way it plays with race regulations feels similar to how it uses familiar genre tricks, trying to keep a sense of unpredictability alive. There’s repeated emphasis on the fragility of the tires, like keeping a poker face – and Hayes’ plan remains a bit mysterious until the end, showing a willingness to accept risks and deviations.
Because the characters are so familiar with failure – they’ve lived through it – there’s room for a calculated gamble to actually pay off. In short, the film has confidence in classic storytelling structure. At a certain point, the audience knows a victory is coming, along with a Hollywood-style kiss to wrap it up. The camera lingers on every victorious face in crisp digital close-up, as a kind of reward for the viewers who’ve sat through all the noise and rumble with full emotional investment.
As for the romantic subplot – I don’t really agree with the idea that giving Brad Pitt a love interest is just ‘catering to old male fantasy’. Why assume it’s only benefiting him? Couldn’t it also matter to the female character? Why should her enjoyment or agency be dismissed?”
“As an F1 fan, I left the cinema totally satisfied and happy. Life is about passion. This is F1.
Like many real drivers who’ve seen early screenings said – yeah, some parts are exaggerated, but the film genuinely tries to tell a story about the sport, from within the F1 world. Those over-the-top moments? If you know the sport, you can actually recognize the real-life events they’re based on – and when you do, you can’t help but smile.
Also, the whole world knows your red team took 5.8 seconds to change tires at a critical moment. And honestly, this is the most exciting Abu Dhabi finale since 2021.
The film’s back-half, with its condensed 9-race stretch, basically squeezes in nearly 20 years of F1 drama that I’ve experienced as a fan. So yes, even though it’s intense, it works as cinema.
I loved that women were placed in major team roles – the lead engineer, tire crew, strategy team. As a woman in STEM myself (and especially one who follows F1), I really felt seen by that female engineer character. Total empathy.
One last thing – Hans Zimmer, we love you, but please stop borrowing from your own old soundtracks. I definitely heard echoes of Rush and Interstellar in there…”
