Take-56 Was the movie 'F1 (2025)' interesting?

【Tagline for this movie】
“Surpass the you of yesterday”

【Original Title】
“F1: The Movie”

　F1 is an abbreviation for Formula One. While "Formula" can mean a rule, mathematical expression, or recipe, it has become recognized as the name for the racing standard. The first race was held in 1950. There are 21 host countries, 25 venues, and 20 participants (10 teams). The champion is determined by the total sum of "Championship Points" awarded based on the ranking in each race.

【Running Time】155 minutes

𓃠 Everyone, are you having a good movie life?
　I'm Paysanne, a stray cat from N City.

　Well, about this 'F1'. Although it was being talked about in public, with Brad Pitt even visiting Japan recently, I didn't get any "spark⚡️" from the trailer at all. This "spark" is surprisingly important, and I feel that in most cases where it's missing, you end up thinking, "Hmm, just as I thought..."

　That said, it was the same feeling with director Kosinski's previous work, 'Top Gun: Maverick'. Personally, I didn't think the first 'Top Gun' was all that interesting (of course, I know firsthand how it influenced the trends of that era), so I thought, "It's probably just a sequel like that." I never imagined it would end up being my personal [Best of the Year #1] for that year 🤯

　Of course, there were other excellent works, but I remember thinking that if I didn't make 'Maverick' #1,my core belief regarding movies would be shaken. That's how wonderful an entertainment piece it was, including the script.

　Just like back then, I tweeted on X before watching, "Will it actually overturn this feeling?🤔"...
　And this time, it really did!

　🤯 Wow, just like passing everyone from 10th place in a race, it brilliantly crossed the 🏁 checkered flag, oh mother!
　(´；ω；｀)
　It was super interesting!😭
　(；´Д｀) pant pant

　To begin with, the reason I didn't get a spark⚡️ from the trailer was simply because "I could see the story coming," and I thought it would just be another "underdog team fights, cooperates, and wins in the end!"
　Or,
"Like in 'Top Gun: Maverick (2022)', is it just a remake of veteran vs. rookie, analog (spirit/guts theory) vs. high-tech?"
──That's what I was thinking 😅

　But when I actually opened the lid...!

　Well... I guess it was exactly that lol 😂

　(；´Д｀) Ah, wait a minute! 🖐️

　If it were just that, it would be like my impression of 'Gran Turismo (2023)' all over again! (Sorry to those who like it. I thought that work was mediocre 😅)

　Well, even with this 'F1', if you think about it calmly later, I do feel to some extent that it was just a super-intense race, and the drama was added just toshow off the machines😂

　I do feel that, but!

　In this case, those complaints were sandwiched from both sides, and after the dead heat, I really felt like I was overpowered by "brute force" 🤯

Honestly, in terms of theme, it's still quite close to 'Maverick' 🙄 That said, director Kosinski did say he spent a lot of time reflecting on why 'Maverick' was such a big hit, so I suspect this is becoming the director's 'signature' or stance moving forward 🤔

That is, shall we call it 'intergenerational reconciliation'? Sonny, who clings to past glory and is mocked by the rookie Joshua as 'Mr. 90s.' When called a 'swan,' Sonny retorts to Joshua by calling him a 'baby swan.' Watching the two of them, if you are older, you feel the 'frustration toward the younger generation,' and if you are younger, you feel the 'resentment toward the older generation.' If you are an older person, these are emotions you have likely both passed through, and if you are a young person, they are emotions you will definitely encounter in the future. Before saying 'You old fart!', it is important to think, 'Do I really have that much courtesy and experience?' and before saying 'You brat!', it is also important to think, 'Have I really done enough to be respected?' Just as you only understand your parents' feelings after becoming a parent, Joshua also understands Sonny's feelings for the first time after an accident during a race. And Sonny, seeing his younger self—the version of himself that 'knew no fear'—in Joshua, understands him as well. They acknowledge from the gut the parts they were each lacking, and for the first time, they learn that by compensating for each other's 'where to yield' and 'where not to yield,' their bond becomes stronger. Well, I suppose this is Kosinski's way of generating a story. Even in Japan, in real life and on social media, we often see clashes and complaints between generations, but frankly, just 'clashing' or 'insulting and looking down on each other' has no productivity and is very ugly. From the outside, it looks really uncool. Both sides.

Between the intense drive of 'I'll make them acknowledge me' while thinking 'You jerk!' and the attitude of 'We can't understand each other, yeah yeah, it's over,' it's obvious which one is more interesting as a drama.
(Of course, there are cases where 'this person is truly hopeless as a human being.' Even if your values are completely opposite in real life, it is important to at least determine if they are someone who can stand on the same playing field as you...)

💢 To be honest, I was jealous too! Huh? Of Brad Pitt? No, no way lol. I'm not that bold 😂

Not that, but of the current teens and twenties... Because, you know, they can see such incredible visuals and sound so easily. (；´Д｀)
I wish I could have seen this when I was a teenager, when I was more impressionable... 😭 Grrr

⬆️ As shown in the image above, the tagline also says, 'This is not a movie, it is an 'experience.' I watched it from the very front seat of IMAX, and it was indeed an 'experience.' But actually, in this case, I felt strongly that it wasn't just about that 'visual experience' or 'simulated experience,' but rather about a 'victory experience.'

It is often said that to 'win,' you need the 'memory of having won.'

But (including myself) there must be many people in the world who 'have no memory of winning,' or rather, have 'never even fought.'

Movies are also what allow us to experience that.

This is similar to how the young racer Joshua, after his accident, re-experiences 'what would have happened if he had done as Sonny said' using a virtual machine.

When you leave the theater, you've become Ken Takakura lol. Well, in this case, you've become Brad Pitt, though lol.

Didn't you all feel really good after leaving the theater? I felt very comfortable ✨️ I even thought something uncharacteristic of a movie fan while watching it: 'Ah... just being an audience member watching a movie in a theater and being moved... that's not enough for life, is it?' 😂It was so refreshing, I wished I could live forever with 'this feeling I have right now'!

By the way (-_-;), I'm sorry to use you as a sacrificial lamb (a movie sacrifice?), but here is my review of 'Gran Turismo,' which I'd suggest fans shouldn't read 😵‍💫💦

In terms of 'Ah, that pattern,' 'F1' shouldn't be much different, but for me, the impression was the exact opposite 🙄 It's 'brute force,' seriously 😤

Anyway, what was great about IMAX, besides the roar of the race, was being able to fully enjoy that low-pitched voice of Brad Pitt (I'm a voice fetishist lol) from every corner ✨️

The "ya" and "Oops" thrown in between lines, and especially that unique "Nah-ha-ha" laugh, are just irresistible, aren't they? 😂

F1 is only F1 because of Brad Pitt's real voice! Watching this dubbed would be an "asshole" move! Absolutely! (Sorry for the foul language 😂 I'm not insulting anyone, I'm just parodying it because it came up a lot in the movie 🤣)

Well, from here on, I think there will be some spoilers, so if you haven't seen it and don't want to know ahead of time, please watch the movie before reading this 😊👋

Are you ready? I'll continue.

Still, I was impressed by how well they handled the climax with the "red flag" rule. 🙄

It's difficult to build excitement for a climax in a racing movie with things like "one-on-one" battles, and sometimes it's hard to understand exactly what it takes to win...

I thought it was an excellent way to reset the race itself, start over with a small number of cars, and show a dead heat once again. 🤔

The ending seems to be divisive, but I liked the ending where the conflict is resolved early and Sonny, played by Brad Pitt, enters the world of one that he was seeking and wanted to see. In recent years, there was a similar scene in the currently big hit "National Treasure (2025)" where they say "there is a view I want to see," and above all, you can't help but be reminded of the original sports grit, "Tomorrow's Joe" and the "becoming pure white ash" line.

From the conversation the day before the race when Kerry Condon's character Kate asked him, "Why do you race?", I was already thinking, "Oh, this is kind of like the conversation between Joe and Yoko" 😂

At the very least, it was much better than the standard pattern of competing and winning by a "nose." We've already been shown that plenty in "Gran Turismo" 😹

Director Tony Scott made the racing movie "Top Gun (1986)" with Tom Cruise, and then "Days of Thunder (1990)", and Director Kosinski made "Top Gun: Maverick" and then "F1" with Brad Pitt. --From the sky to the land, I feel a sense of fate that they end up filming with a connection to a sense of speed 😂

Also, there was this report back in May of this year. It seems that plans for 'Days of Thunder 2' are also moving forward. Will watching Brad Pitt this time light a fire in Tom's heart too? This dead heat is also something to watch😁

[Tom Cruise reveals he is considering 'Top Gun 3' and 'Days of Thunder 2': Movie News - Eiga.com]

By the way, Joseph Kosinski's debut film was 'Tron: Legacy (2010)'. Is it fate that the trailer for the third installment in that series, 'Tron (1982)', titled 'Tron: Ares (releasing November 2025)', was shown during 'F1'?😸

I was extremely, extremely, extremely satisfied!😊

Well then, until next time!