If there ever was a movie I am as far from the target audience as possible, Gran Turismo might be it. I don’t game (that much), if/when I do, I don’t play racing games, and due to the Fast & Furious franchise, I have given up on any racing movies being decent. And, to be perfectly honest, until a few months ago, I didn’t even know this movie existed because it missed me entirely, and it wasn’t until I saw a trailer in the cinema that I became aware of it. I also remember the exact moment I went from “Who is this movie for?” to “Ok, this movie might be for me.” That moment was seeing Neill Blomkamp‘s name. I like all his movies and was disappointed when he couldn’t deliver his version of Alien. His name was enough for me to be cautiously optimistic about this film and to get me into the cinema. Honestly, if it were not for his direction, this would have been a bland, middle-of-the-road film.
When we look back at 2023, one thing is for certain – many (myself included) might label this year “when we managed to get game adaptations right.” The big one is the show The Last of Us (2023 – ?, my review here), and now, Gran Turismo can stand proudly in that category as well. Let me be clear; I am not saying this movie is on par with The Last of Us, of course not. And you can argue that they had a much easier job not fucking this movie up, and I would also agree with that. However, the fact Gran Turismo is as good as it is almost a miracle.
Usually, I tend to begin with the positives, but in this instance, I will start with the biggest negative I have to say about this film. The reason for that is that it is also the only criticism from my side. The predictability of this movie was the only thing I could see as subpar. Yes, the film is based on a true (and frankly unbelievable) story, but that also means we can see everything “mapped out”. There is almost nothing that will surprise you; every story beat this movie hits, you can see coming from miles away. Also, some characters could be more flashed out (like the “girlfriend character” played by Maeve Courtier-Lilley). This is all we know of her; she only exists as a proxy to our main hero. If I were to put my critical hat on, those would be the biggest issues this movie had.
But even those didn’t bother me as much because Gran Turismo moves faster than the cars in the film. The movie is filled with many cliches, but they work within the movie because of the “based on a true story” element, the cast and Neill’s tiny touches. Everything from the freeze frames telling us Jann’s positions throughout different races and the video game noises to those scenes where Jann imagines being in a real car while playing the game was great. Those were the moments that differentiated this movie from any other in its genre. We’ve seen many racing movies (even if we wouldn’t count the Fast franchise), and Neill has managed to shoot this movie in such a way it feels different. The emotional moments work; you are there with Jann during his trials to become a racer to actually racing and having to end up fourth to get his licence; you are in those moments with him.
And by him, I mean Archie Madekwe. I don’t think he gave an Oscar-worthy performance, but he is likeable and charismatic enough that I wouldn’t want anybody else in this role. He was perfect because he felt like a regular guy who just loved Gran Turismo (the game) and was great at it. And his chemistry with David Harbour was magical. Gran Turismo is, funnily enough, a movie that finally convinced me of Harbour’s charm. I like him in Stranger Things (2016 – ?), but I haven’t seen a film with him where I would witness that charm “transferred” onto the big screen. But his character was fun, and again, his mentor/”race dad” relationship with Archie’s character made this movie and elevated it. I also loved what they did with Orlando Bloom‘s character. In any other lesser film, he would have ended up being the antagonist, and he has moments where you think that is where his character will end up, but he never fully goes there. His character tip-toes on this fine line between a sleazy corporate guy and a person who actually cares about the sport and is more in-depth than I expected from a movie based on a racing simulator. I also need to give an honourable mention to Djimon Hounsou, whose presence is always appreciated and Geri Horner. Yep, Ginger Spice is in this film, and she is our protagonist’s mum, married to Djimon.
The best example I can give you is this. Do you remember Need for Speed (2014)? Yeah, nobody does either, and there is a reason. If Gran Turismo had been made even five years ago and with somebody else other than Blomkamp, we would have ended up with a film like Need for Speed. That means a totally average, okayish movie you have some fun with during it, but you forget about it days later. And unlike Gran Turismo, I have played one of the Need for Speed games (Underground 2 was my jam), so if anything, I should be biased towards that one. But alas, I am not because it was literally an average, middle-of-the-road movie that brought nothing new. Gran Turismo, on the other hand, embraced its video game origins while telling this incredible story of a young guy who made his dreams come true. It took the genre cliches, used them as guardrails and delivered a fun, exhilarating story that swung past me in no time. It wasn’t until I was home from the cinema and was reading some trivia on IMDb that I realised this film was 135 minutes long! I could have sworn it was just under two hours, and that is probably the best thing I can say about any movie. If I get lost in any film so much, I don’t even know how much time has gone by that is usually a good sign, and it means I must have had a blast watching it.
Overall, Gran Turismo is a blast. If you have ever played the game, the chances are you will love it. If you are like me and have never played it, you may still enjoy yourself because the film embraces its video game origins while telling the true story of one extremely charismatic guy who just wanted to race. Gran Turismo delivers on the adrenaline and the thrill of the sport; it also gives you a great pairing with our titular duo Harbour + Madekwe. Yes, it falls into some cliches and is predictable, but you won’t mind as much, given you will be busy rooting for Jann and be there with him every step of the way. This movie had no right to be as great as it is. Go see it in the cinemas.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke