MOVIE REVIEW – Just when you think every possible race track cliché—grizzled veteran returns, cocky rookie learns a lesson—has crossed the finish line, F1 – The Movie downshifts and injects the genre with a potent shot of fresh octane. The insular, high-stakes world of motorsport isn’t just recreated with jaw-dropping technical precision. Still, it envelops you in a cinematic and sonic storm so visceral you can almost smell burning rubber from your seat. We caught Brad Pitt’s 61-year-old speed-demon in a summer blockbuster racing drama at Budapest’s Etele Cinema, in one of the smaller auditoriums, a full week before its national release.

Back in the early 1990s, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was Formula One’s most promising upstart. One catastrophic twist cut his trajectory short, sending him into the shadows—though every now and then, he’d reappear on lesser-known circuits, his signature fearlessness and skill still undiminished. When an old friend, teetering on the brink of financial ruin with his team, calls Sonny for one last shot at glory, the washed-up legend can’t resist. Enter the team’s brash young star, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who at first sees nothing but a relic clinging to faded glory—of course, he couldn’t be more wrong. Pitt’s magnetic presence dominates the film from start to finish, while Idris sparks real electricity as his foil.

Racing Generations – Old School Grit Meets New Wave Swagger

This premiere has been revving up anticipation for months: Budapest theaters get the green light on June 26, with an Apple TV Plus debut following. Behind the curtain is the dream team from Top Gun: Maverick—director Joseph Kosinski, screenwriter Ehren Kruger, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer—who all bring their A-game. The story beats feel familiar: seasoned champ versus hungry rookie, initial friction giving way to mutual respect and personal growth—the old guard still fighting for relevance, the young gun quietly desperate for mentorship he’d never admit to needing.

Let’s be clear: Kosinski and company didn’t reinvent the “old wolf–young pup” formula—it’s the bedrock of movie storytelling, from The Searchers to Training Day, Les ripoux and Men in Black. But that’s the magic; these archetypes let viewers slide right into the characters’ helmets, no matter their own background—even if, like yours truly, you’ve never even held a driver’s license and generally couldn’t care less about car flicks.

F1 Joins Racing Cinema’s Pole Position – Realism, Adrenaline, and Brushing Death

This film earns a place alongside genre greats like Rush, Gran Turismo, Ford v Ferrari, and the latest Ferrari. What sets it apart? Joseph Kosinski’s relentless attention to real-world Formula One detail threads through every frame. Reuniting with Top Gun: Maverick scribe Ehren Kruger and Oscar-winner Claudio Miranda, he crafts a pulsing, action-charged comeback story where our hero puts it all on the line—again.

The shoot spanned 18 months and more than a dozen real Grand Prix weekends, with Pitt and Idris actually piloting F1 cars. As with Top Gun: Maverick, Miranda and Kosinski push the camera’s limits—every possible angle, cockpit POV, even helmet cams—so you feel the existential rush of dancing with disaster. In the film’s most intense moments, you’re riding shotgun, caught between terror and euphoria at 300 kilometers an hour.

Technical Fireworks – Kosinski and Hans Zimmer Go Full Throttle

The real knockout blow is the technical execution: Joseph Kosinski proves again that he’s the maestro of blockbusters that shake you to your core (seriously, see this in IMAX if you can—even though our press screening was on a less-than-giant screen). Every race sequence crackles with authenticity: the fictional team’s cars are real F1 machines filmed at iconic tracks worldwide (catch our exclusive Kosinski interview for the behind-the-scenes scoop). The crew deploys every camera trick in the book—front, rear, side, drone, helmet-cam—so you’re not just watching the chaos, you’re living it.

Editing wizard Stephen Mirrione (Traffic, 21 Grams, Babel, Birdman) keeps the pace dizzying, pulling you deeper into the cockpit. And then there’s Hans Zimmer’s score (Gladiator, Dune), where Moroder-inspired synths collide with piston-pumping engine notes—a signature, enveloping soundscape that might just be Zimmer’s most memorable work in years.

No Surprises, All Thrills – In This Race, It’s About the Journey

On the track, you always know where the finish line is—and F1 – The Movie signals its destination early. Still, the joy is in the ride: the speed, the momentum, and the pulse-pounding unpredictability along the way. Pitt’s cool authority and layered charisma anchor the experience—sometimes stoic, sometimes vulnerable, sometimes downright romantic—making this a cinematic race worth running.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-