Gran Turismo

Considering that this at its core it is a long, slightly intrusive commercial for a Sony product, it's very good. Although it didn't cost much, it manages to disguise itself thanks to Blomkamp's skill and looks like a substantial piece. The racing scenes have verve, they have fantastic sound design, and the editor gives a superhuman performance during them. The scenes that don't involve racing also manage to grab you by the heart thanks to the acting. Leaving aside Orlando Bloom, who looks like the witch from Hansel and Gretel with that impossible haircut and scowling expression, you can believe the former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and her maternal feelings (very unexpected casting), Hounsou is fine and his tearful reaction when meeting his son is a very nice scene. Harbour makes a poem out of his mentor role (and I like his old-school penchant for walkmans and Black Sabbath), but I’m especially surprised by the unknown Archie Madekwe, the boy does a great job. I wouldn't have expected to be so invested in a gamer story, but it happened. Blomkamp is like a magician who can pull golden rabbits out of a hat for little money. PS: I was looking forward to seeing the basic idea of the film "video game gamer turned professional racer" being fucked up as nonsensical, only to have the final photo collage slap me in the face and knock my jaw off. I really had no idea. (14/11/2023)

More of a nice fan-service than a full-fledged drama with emotional charge and theses from life like Rush. Gran Turismo has some nice moments, decent circuit racing scenes, solid unobtrusive visual effects and new faces, plus the old ones are cool and don't get in the way. Hounsou and Harbour do what's expected of them, and Bloom is just Bloom. The relationship line, however, is completely unnecessary. This film isn't talked about much probably due to weaker promotion or a specific target audience, it certainly won't become as popular as Nikki Lauda's story, but it has passable qualities. (14/10/2023)

Dynamic, lively, emotive and technically brilliant. The plot is formulaic and the dialogue is ridiculously straightforward, but all of that is overcome by the fact that this is a true story that we wouldn’t believe if it hadn’t actually happened (!). The incorporation of gaming elements into the real world is done so tastefully and skilfully that it make Gran Turismo the best and, mainly, most meaningful film adaptation of a video game so far. Therefore, let’s not compare it to the more mature and thoughtful, but diametrically different racing dramas Rush and Ford v Ferrari. (03/04/2024)

I'm not a fan of PC racing games or real GT racing, yet I enjoyed Gran Turismo in the cinema immensely. Blomkamp's film has an incredibly dynamic energy thanks to the premise, which balances out the fact that it's a fairly simple story: about a young man who manages to cleverly apply his extensive virtual world experience to real racing. Watching it in the cinema, I felt like I was right on the racetrack, where a single hesitation or ill-advised move can have fatal consequences. Of the cast, David Harbour impressed me the most, but Archie Madekwe in the lead role managed to appeal to me as well (btw, Orlando Bloom, who I haven't seen in anything for a long time, has really aged). In the end, I left the cinema, where the audiovisual qualities of the film stood out, extremely satisfied. A bonus was the classic hit song Orinoco Flow. (26/10/2023)

Blomkamp and a good video game adaptation! Blomkamp made his second best film after Disctrict 9 and not much was expected from Gran Turismo. The trailers were mediocre, we all know the curse of video game adaptations and thus the result itself is more than satisfactory. A fan of racing films will definitely be satisfied, if only because genre films like this don't come along very often. Story-wise, of course, it's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a likeable story that has heart, likeable characters, emotion, suspense and a proper adrenaline rush. The main character is a great video game player who gets the chance to race in a real car against pro players, but he will have to go through tough training and it won't be for free. Archie Madekwe did his best in the See series, so here he has his first proper role and he does a decent job. The best thing about the whole film is David Harbour, who has one of the best roles of his career, tasked with preparing the players for the real "Fight", and he is a joy to watch. The races themselves are good as well. They are thrilling, have great cinematography, when it comes to crashes it is spectacular and nasty, the rivalry between the other players works and the final Le Mans race is a really adrenaline-pumping and thrilling ride. I found myself tearing up a few times during the film, which I hadn't counted on at all here. I enjoyed it immensely, I would definitely put the film in the stellar racing trio, Le Mans, Rush, Gran Turismo. I will definitely watch the film again. 8.5/10. (16/10/2023)