The Japanese tech giant continues to push to transform the video game scenes from PlayStation into TV shows and movies. After HBO’s version of The Last of Us and the adaptation of Uncharted, it’s not a TV version of God of War or Horizon, but the Gran Turismo movie, probably a bit of a surprise.
Directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9), this isn’t a story of laser-scanned tracks or a recorded V10 rumble from a Lamborghini Huracan, although a Netflix-style documentary wouldn’t hurt. Instead, the goal is to prove that video game players are talented enough to become real motorsport drivers.
It’s all based on the true story of aspiring driver Jann Mardenborough, played here by Archie Madekwe (Midsommar) who won the 2011 GT Academy competition that took Gran Turismo drivers from their consoles to the real-world Nissan team.
“These are the fastest simulation pilots in the world,” says Danny Moore’s character, played by Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean), who created the show.
Once the producer is on board with the idea, he tries to convince former pilot and current mechanic Jack Salter, played by David Harbor (Stranger Things), to participate.
Gran Turismo Movie racing cockpit
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“Really think about taking a little boy playing video games in the bedroom and strapping him to a 200mph rocket—it’s going to tear him apart,” warns Salter.
However, fed up with supervising talentless millionaires, like Nicholas Capa of the eponymous Capa Racing, he agrees to participate. His job is to coach the Tom Kristensen wannabes of the world and help them pick a winner, before guiding them into the unscrupulous world of motorsport.
Mardenborough is the center of attention, the courageous teenager paradoxically listening to the calm notes of saxophonist Kenny G and Enya before the competition, in one of the few funny moments.
The moments reserved for the characters, whether it be with worried parents or love interests, are often interrupted by someone struggling to explain the importance of driving cars on the track or by close-ups of steering wheel shifters or camshafts.
Challenging topics are irreverently discussed and, in the final third, the justification for racing again after a bad crash is weaker than a rusty muffler.
“This isn’t a game, it’s reality,” says Slater. Yes, I’m well aware of that, thank you.
Gran Turismo Movie Capa Racing
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However, the sense of speed and game-like camera angles are captivating. Mauro Calo of Top Gear fame participated in the guide and it shows. Cars move sideways in dramatic style. A group of Nissan GT-Rs are separated by a millimeter at 150mph – you almost feel the air disturbed.
Madekwe is able to successfully convey a determined person, initially a little lost, in an understandable way. This isn’t the visceral acting seen in Top Gun Maverick’s fighter jet scenes, but there was rarely a sense that the protagonist wasn’t actually driving.
Numerous nods to the game’s platform can be found throughout the film, whether the characters are watching Gran Turismo® content creators like Super GT on YouTube, or viewing menu sounds directly from Polyphony Digital on screen.
The way a CGI creation of a car around simulation rigs is used is a clever metaphor for how seriously some virtual racers take their esports, and somewhat surprisingly for Hollywood, the correct terminology is used in whole movie without looking down on the genre.
But then we come back to the story, and although Harbor is trying, the script he’s working with is repetitive.
“I did this [pista] thousands of times,” says Mardenborough.
“But not in reality,” replies Salter of Harbour. Okay, we already figured it out.
Gran Turismo movie driver
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The terms “brother” and “friend” are used without conviction and the battle against the antagonist Capa misses the mark, as the rival on the track has only one small scene that makes him unpleasant.
The recent successful motorsport films, Rush and Ford vs Ferrari (Le Mans ’66), are based on a clash of personalities. But this film does not sufficiently develop the rivals on the track outside the circuit, depriving them of the final impact.
As was the case with the Niki Lauda and James Hunt biopic, which used Brand Hatch extensively and at times in reverse, serious motorsport fans will notice the overuse of the Hungaroring here too, even though most viewers probably won’t. case.
The film does not delve into the relationship between parents and their children as they strive to chase their dreams, nor does it explore the pressure of expectations on young minds. The only message one gets from an accident scene at the Nurburgring is that motorsports are dangerous, which is hardly new.
Gran Turismo Movie GT Academy rivals
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“The whole operation is a marketing extravaganza,” proclaims Moore.
It’s sometimes hard to figure out whether he’s referring to the GT Academy program or the movie itself.
A likable central character and visceral racing scenes are mixed with oversimplification and an inessential supporting cast. However, the film highlights simulated racing well and in turn hopefully inspires a new generation of potential aspiring drivers.
Gran Turismo® will be released in theaters on August 9, 2023 in the United Kingdom, August 10-11 in Europe, Canada and Australia, and August 25 in the United States.
Gran Turismo Movie Hungaroring
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