gran turismo (2023) movie Review
Some movies come very close to being really good, almost reaching a level of brilliance that leaves you frustrated when they fall short. Director Neill Blomkamp's "Gran Turismo" is one of those films. It's a sports drama that tries to be crowd-pleasing and genre-bending, but it falls a bit short of true greatness. The movie seems to shy away from in-depth character development, taking simpler paths and avoiding any experimental storytelling.
Despite its shortcomings, I found myself engrossed in every race, lap, and turn. The climax, featuring Jann Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe), a teenager who went from being a gamer to a real-life car racer, successfully tugged at my heartstrings as he crossed the finish line.
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"Gran Turismo" is a unique yet familiar biopic, drawing inspiration from a video game that's actually a simulator. In the game, players can customize vehicles in intricate detail, emulating various makes and models that can rival professional drivers. Director Blomkamp tries to visualize this realism by using transparent visual effects cars that surround Mardenborough when he plays.
The story revolves around marketing expert Danny Moore (played by Orlando Bloom), who recognizes the potential of these gaming skills. He proposes a competition to GT, where the top seven gamers will train to become real racers for the Nissan team. Moore also brings in Jack Salter (played by David Harbour), a seasoned veteran crew chief and former driver, to be their trainer. Despite the risky venture, when Jack asks Moore what he gets out of it, Moore doesn't have a clear answer. This lack of clarity and the confusing motivations of Moore, despite Bloom's inspired performance, end up being frustrating for the audience.
Mardenborough's dreams are simple: he wants to work on real cars. However, his father, Steve (played by Djimon Hounsou), who used to be a professional footballer and now does ordinary jobs, urges him to be practical and avoid ending up like him, with shattered dreams. The film doesn't delve much into the Mardenborough family's lives. Mardenborough has a caring mother (Geri Halliwell) and a party-loving brother (Daniel Puig), but they only play minor roles on screen. Mardenborough meets Audrey (Maeve Courtier-Lilley) at a party, but her character disappointingly stays as a distant dream on Mardenborough's Instagram feed without any narrative development.
The fellow gamers turned drivers in the GT Academy are also thinly developed characters, serving mainly to fill the biopic's runtime. The Academy becomes more significant as a backdrop for the growing relationship between Mardenborough and Jack. Jack is skeptical about whether these gamers can become professionals, and the film plays a guessing game with Jack's mysterious backstory.
"Gran Turismo" doesn't truly get interesting until Mardenborough moves from the Academy to real racing, facing teams hostile to simulator racers. The film explores themes of real-world struggles, echoing the challenges faced by SAG-AFTRA and WGA against AI, despite Mardenborough being a real person. The portrayal of characters like Mardenborough as determined outsiders, akin to "Cool Runnings" bobsledders, adds an unexpected layer of tension.
The film relies on familiar sports movie tropes to keep the audience engaged, even when the storytelling falls short. The rivalry with an ultra-rich racing team, a tragic crash leading to a comeback story, and a compelling speech by Hounsou contribute to the underdog narrative, drawing viewers into the world of an ordinary teenager. While "Gran Turismo" has some issues, including the understated performance of lead actor Madekwe, director Blomkamp manages to provide enough thrilling moments to captivate the audience.