Gran Turismo – Movie Review
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Writer: Jason Hall, Zach Baylin (Screenplay)
Writer: Jason Hall, Alex Tse (Story)
Cast
- David Harbour (Hellboy)
- Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean)
- Archie Madekwe (See)
- Takehiro Hira (Snake Eyes)
- Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond)
Plot: Based on the unbelievable, inspiring true story of a team of underdogs – a struggling, working-class gamer, a failed former race car driver, and an idealistic motorsport exec – who risk it all to take on the most elite sport in the world.
Runtime: 2 Hours 15 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Gran Turismo starts when teenager Jann Mardenborough (Madekwe) finds himself facing an uncertain future. His passion is racing, and the video game Gran Turismo has always given him an out. However, his former professional football father Steve (Hounsou) wants him to find a future path.
Meanwhile, marketing Danny Moore (Bloom) has talked Nissan into funding a program to find a Sim driver. Jann earns his spot in the academy and under strict race engineer Jack Salter (Harbour) enter a competition to earn a professional racing slot. Can he achieve his dream or will the reality of being behind a car catch up with him?
Verdict on Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo is a biographical video game following the life of racer Jan Mardenborough. It follows his life from humble beginnings where his gaming passion doesn’t offer a future in his father’s eyes. Right up to the chance to earn a spot on one of the biggest teams in the world.
This was sold heavily on being based on the video game, rather than being a biographical movie about a racer. So, we know there will be some sort of success going on even if you don’t know who the real person was (I didn’t). This takes us down the path of watching him overcome a host of problems to improve each time we see him face a challenge. It is 100% biopic 101 and adds a little bit of a bigger moment to make a bigger impact.
However, we seem to skip over many of the more interesting aspects of this challenge. First off, his parents not having any involvement, any company throwing someone into this much of a spotlight communicates through the family. The other academy members feel like an afterthought. Finally, once he gets on to racing real drivers, a hostile environment is created, while in reality, most drivers would be welcoming. We could have easily chopped off the girlfriend storyline, especially when the movie is already over two hours long.
When it comes to the actual racing it is shot in a way that feels part video game and part too many cuts. This makes the sequences feel boring at times despite being intense racing moments. David Harbour is the star of the show here, he makes his character feel the most human, while Orlando Bloom has great moments. His character can feel off at times. Archie Madekwe does a solid enough job, but it never feels like he completely understands the determination a sports star has. Don’t get me started in Geri Horner, who felt more like a lost sheep than a serious character.
Final Thoughts –Gran Turismo does the basics of a biopic but lacks the intensity in the racing.
