F1: The Movie will open in cinemas in many countries one week from today and in North America two days after that.
The first reviews from film critics who have seen the completed picture were published in the last 24 hours. So far many of them are positive, with the action sequences and performances of several actors singled out for praise. Several favourable comparisons have been drawn with the directors’ previous film Top Gun: Maverick.
Others have raised points of criticism, describing its plot as predictable and the dialogue as exposition-heavy. The film is officially licensed by Formula One Management and produced with its co-operation, which some reviewers say has resulted in a movie which feels like an advert for the series.
Out of 18 scored reviews covered here so far, F1: The Movie has an average score of 65%.
| Reviewer | Quote | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Jake Coyle, Associated Press |
“If there’s something preventing F1 from hitting full speed, it’s its insistence on having its characters constantly voice Sonny’s motivations. The same holds true on the race course, where broadcast commentary narrates virtually every moment of the drama.” | 3/4 |
| Nicholas Barber, BBC |
“If you scribbled down what you guessed the structure might be, you’d be absolutely correct – except that your version might have some more high-stakes jeopardy than the actual film.” | 2/5 |
| Brian Viner, Daily Mail |
“But like the ropey plot, the clunky exposition hardly matters. I’ve seen better motor-racing movies but none which convey so viscerally the adrenaline rush of driving at speeds of well over 200mph.” | 4/5 |
| Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy |
“An empty spectacle. You can appreciate the craft on display in the driving sequences, but it’s hard to be fully invested when you don’t care about the characters in them.” | 2/5 |
| Bill Bria, Discussing Film |
“For Sonny, racing isn’t merely about taking risks or proving he’s the best in the world. It’s about climbing the mountain because it is there, as was once said, and seeing what other frontiers of speed lie over the next horizon. F1 is a movie after Sonny’s own heart: it’s a film made for the thrill of it. “ | 3.5/5 |
| Sophie Butcher, Empire |
“For Formula 1 fans, the sheer accuracy of F1’s depiction of the sport will be giddy-making; for agnostics, the races may feel a touch repetitive, and the level of detail may go over some heads.” | 4/5 |
| Clint Gage, IGN |
“As a sports movie following some pretty tried and true tactics, F1 ups its game at every stage of things. This won’t win it any awards for originality, but it still adds up to a real win.” | 7/10 |
| Chris Wasser, Irish Independent |
“Kosinski’s joint isn’t quite as gripping as, say, Ron Howard’s Rush, nor is it as charming as James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari. Those films had a decent story under their hoods; not this one, and the flashy, cinematic sports ad stops being fun whenever Sonny and his pals exit their vehicles.” | 3/5 |
| Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post |
“We’re freaked out when automobiles flip over and catch fire. That’s where the movie’s surprises lie. In a script with totally predictable character journeys, all the grit comes from the grand prix. “ | 3.5/4 |
| James Mottram, Radio Times |
“Spare a thought for the race commentators too, who have their work cut out explaining the complex race regulations that the maverick Sonny keeps breaking, in a classic exposition dump. But then that is the least of the narrative crimes this fun-but-dumb movie pulls.” | 3/5 |
| Jake Cole, Slant |
“F1 succeeds for many of the same reasons that Top Gun: Maverick does: for elevating familiar material with old-school filmmaking swagger.” | 3/4 |
| George Simpson, The Express |
“The lack of stakes and 1-note shallowness of the script feels worthy of yet another forgettable $200 million Netflix B-movie. F1’s biggest crime is its overlong 2.5-hour runtime and shameless commercialisation, making the whole thing feel like a feature-length advert for alcohol-free beer and Middle Eastern airlines.” | 2/5 |
| Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian |
“There’s a fair bit of macho silliness here, but the panache with which director Joseph Kosinski puts it together is very entertaining.” | 4/5 |
| Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent |
“Sonny is a character whose rage and recklessness are ultimately celebrated by the film as not only redeemable but, in certain situations, admirable, which feels uncomfortably close to a kind of image control in the wake of the allegations made by Pitt’s former partner, Angelina Jolie, as part of their protracted legal separation battles.” | 2/5 |
| Robbie Collin, The Telegraph |
“For the most part F1 feels faithful rather than hamstrung, and the peerless race photography and deft writing around Pitt’s character – a late moment involving a pack of cards is even rather moving – are enough to smooth over the niggles.” | 4/5 |
| Kevin Maher, The Times |
“This big-budget racing movie looks fabulous, but it also plays out like a two-and-a-half-hour advert for the sport.” | 2/5 |
| Phil de Semlyen, Time Out |
“It’s hard to draw too much old-school romance from this world of sponsorship, celebrity and sports washing, but F1 manages it on the back of Pitt’s earthy charm. Watch it rev into the canon of great sports movies.” | 4/5 |
| Brian Truitt, USA Today |
“The movie isn’t shy about lapping many a trope, yet the white-knuckle action sequences are where “F1” lives and breathes.” | 3/4 |
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Over to you
Advanced screenings of F1: The Movie have already been held for fans in some regions. Are you going to see it? If you have, what did you think of it? Have your say in the comments.
This article will be updated. Please link to any scored, professional reviews of F1: The Movie for inclusion below.
