Review: Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Gran Turismo’ is Such an Enjoyable Surprise
by Manuel São Bento
August 23, 2023
Gone are the days of spending weekends having endless fun with the steering wheel and pedals of racing video games. For me personally, the Need for Speed saga was the one that marked my childhood and teen years, so if I ever played Gran Turismo, that experience has been forgotten in the past. Ironically, I was never a fan of the sport of racing and its many variants, in addition to being completely unaware of the true story on which this film is based. So, partly due to zero expectations going in, this movie turned out to be one of the most surprising, satisfying viewings of the year. Produced by Playstation, sci-fi filmmaker Neill Blomkamp directs this big screen adaptation of the Gran Turismo video games and the story of one driver.
Gran Turismo tells the true story of Jann Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe, also seen in Midsommar, Voyagers, Beau is Afraid), a British teenager passionate about racing who remarkably became a professional driver on the GT circuit by participating in a gaming competition organized by Nissan. This video game racer premise is pretty unimaginable in and of itself, so my interest in finding out how exactly something as unbelievable as this happened skyrocketed while entering the theater. The cast is, to say the least, intriguing, but combining director Neill Blomkamp (of District 9, Elysium, Chappie, Demonic) with screenwriters Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard) draws the most attention.
And it’s really Blomkamp’s vision and execution that turn Gran Turismo into a highly exciting, adrenaline-charged movie. The camera work (by DP Jacques Jouffret) and editing (by Colby Parker Jr., Austyn Daines) employed in the racing sequences may become repetitive for some viewers, but Blomkamp always throws in one or more different elements in each race. Whether it’s a distinctive overtake, a new opponent, a special objective, or an unfortunate accident, there’s always some narrative and/or action component that makes each of the movie’s races unique.
The energetic score by Lorne Balfe (also of this year’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One) and Andrew Kawczynski also contributes immensely to the entertainment, not allowing many moments to breathe while the protagonist is inside the car. The visual details that combine the video game with the real race are visually engaging, putting the viewer in an uncommon point of view – watching what goes on inside Jann’s head. Furthermore, the respective VFX offer an informative layer by conveying details such as the position of the car during the race, its speed, or a theoretically ideal path that the drivers should follow.
Narratively, Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to typical underdog sports stories. On one hand, I appreciate the consistent intention to never try to make the film more than it is. On the other hand, the performances of some actors are so phenomenal that it’s hard to ignore the desire to want more screen time with them. Djimon Hounson plays Jann’s father, and while there’s nothing new about the complicated father-son relationship, the actor delivers such an emotionally compelling display that the time spent developing that very relationship feels quite short.
Lead actor Archie Madekwe fails to demonstrate the same level of raw emotion in the important moments, but the actor does offer a decent portrayal of a protagonist who ends up spending a lot of time with a helmet on. Regardless, David Harbour is the absolute standout of Gran Turismo, without a doubt. It’s impossible to ask more of an actor whose role is to be a respectful, exemplary, inspirational voice. As a former pilot and driver, taking on the role of Jann’s “trainer” for Nissan, Harbour perfectly embodies Jack Salter and his epic lines of dialogue – so much so that a compilation of motivational quotes could easily be created from this character alone. The actor’s signature humor also fits like a glove into the movie’s atmosphere.
I’m always especially happy to see actors who have marked my cinephilic life back on the big screen in another new blockbuster. Orlando Bloom was a tad unlucky with the role he was given, Danny Moore, but he represented Nissan’s marketing executive as best he could. Too bad the actor is somewhat connected to one of the main issues with the film – namely the excessively advertised dialogue about the companies behind the movie and the story itself. Gran Turismo doesn’t have that many exposition scenes, but all are in some manner a kind of self-congratulatory high-five for Sony, Playstation, Nissan, the game’s creators, and all the other corporate representatives of the film.
Even worse is the temporal change of a tragic moment in Jann’s career for the protagonist’s motivational benefit. Gran Turismo makes some modifications to the story it’s based on, just like any other movie within the same genre. Moving events later or before others is a common creative decision in these scripts – for example, Jann is the 3rd GT Academy winner, not the first – but extra care is required when handling more sensitive subjects. Using the death of a spectator as “fuel” for Jann in the third act, even without malicious intent on the part of the writers and filmmaker, doesn’t go down well.
I consider this type of movie a success whenever they convince me to research the true events as soon as it ends. Gran Turismo was incredibly captivating throughout its entire runtime, but a quick survey of this particular event suggests that the movie changed its point in time on purpose to fit its formulaic plot. It’s one of those moviegoing experiences that generates a euphoric reaction while leaving the cinema, and later a more thoughtful, reserved one when discussing the movie’s merits with peers. Still…
Final Thoughts
Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo is one of the most exciting surprises of the year! Being completely unaware of the inspirational true story on which the movie is based made it even more fascinating, engaging, and wildly exhilarating. Lorne Balfe and Andrew Kawczynski’s score contains countless tracks loaded with extremely high levels of adrenaline that transform all of the racing sequences into moments of pure entertainment. An exceptional performance by David Harbour, who commits himself to his role in such a powerful way, that if the awards season started now and there was no clear dependence on marketing campaigns, the actor would be one of the frontrunners. I strongly recommend not researching anything about the real story *before* watching, even if just to avoid dealing with the predictable, formulaic structure of this type of movie.
Manuel’s Rating: B+
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