F1: The Movie - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

F1: The Movie



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. There aren’t a lot of “movie stars” in Hollywood anymore. The days of the big movie star where audience members say “I’m going to go see the new Arnold movie” or “I’m going to go see the new Humphrey Bogart flick” are over. In its stead is a series of franchises where actors come and go, and the audiences are more attracted to the subject matter than who is in front of the cameras. Maybe I’m old school. Or maybe it’s just rose colored glasses, but I really miss the day of the Hollywood “star”, and it’s nice to still see a few of them functioning today. And while Tom Cruise is the last of the greats who can still put butts in seats just by name power alone, Brad Pitt is right on his heels. I can comfortably say that half the people who went to see F1 this summer was because this was the first time Pitt had been in a big-name blockbuster for a few years, and his star power alone was enough to bring in audiences. I will admit that I didn’t really see the appeal of the film from the trailer, but seeing Brad Pitt’s name up on the Marquee signs was enough to pull me in.

A weird hybrid of Top Gun Maverick and Days of Thunder, Brad Pitt’s F1 cranks out a box office home run with a film that has the barest glimmerings of a plot, yet feels light and agile even with a 2-hour and 35 minute run time. Right off the bat, I’m going to warn you. This movie needs to be seen on a good home theater system. This is a Michael Bay level auto extravaganza, with all the humming engines, throbbing mufflers, and screeching tires that mental image encapsulates.

Our film centers around one Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), an over-the-hill race car driver whose career growth in the F1 racing industry was cut short 32 years ago in a near-fatal car crash at the Spanish Grand Prix. Still slumming it as a race car driver for off-and-on paychecks when he needs money, Sonny has no desire to sit down in the driver's seat permanently. Tracked down by former racer Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), Sonny is asked to do the impossible. Return to F1. It turns out that Ruben’s F1 racing team has been doing poorly recently, and he’s down over 315 million dollars as a result. He needs a win, even if it’s getting a single racer over the finish line. And in that vein, he offers Sonny the chance of a lifetime. The chance to come back to Formula One racing and pull off the biggest comeback ever seen. The chance to look in the mirror, and for that one brief moment in time, be able to say “I am THE best in the world”.

As I said, F1: The Movie has a fairly razor-thin plot, and those expecting some deep introspective experience may have to temper their expectations. Film fans will easily see telegraphed plot points a mile away, from the dangerous car crashes, driver rivalries, and an underdog win that we all saw coming a mile away. BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, don’t expect this to be a boring movie either. Kosinski crafts a very rapid-paced and spectacle-filled experience that just sucks you right in. Much like Top Gun: Maverick, F1: The Movie has no right to be this fun for what is essentially a popcorn movie that has been done before. The film travels the world with on-location sets in several big-time race tracks, as well as actual help from Formula One racing experts, and I’m all here for it. This is big, bold, exciting, and genuinely a fun feel feel-good racing movie.
Sure, the beats have been done before. We’ve all seen a good racing movie with an aging ex-superstar being set up for one last ride. But that classic trope is classic for a reason, as the audience loves this type of story. It’s that instinctual desire for the underdog (like ourselves) to make it big and show their naysayers that there’s still some gas in the tank. Not to mention that Brad Pitt is firing on all four cylinders here. While he hasn’t lost his acting chops, Pitt has felt a bit tired and worn out in his last couple of films, and it's nice to see that fire in his eyes once more. That charm and charisma that made him the apple of every woman’s eye in the 90s and early 2000s.




Rating:

Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout.




4K Video: Video:

Being that it is a big visual blockbuster, it’s no shock that the 4K UHD disc from Warner Brothers is top-notch all the way around. Shot on digital cameras and given a 4K digital intermediate for the home video release, this transfer is simply gorgeous. Bright shiny, Kosinski goes for a very clean and neutral look for the film, focusing on glossy highlights, with shiny paint and flashy primary colors all around. Fine detail is simply stunning, with amazing clarity on auto bodies and facial features alike (seriously, you can see every pore on Brad Pitt’s nose when they focus on him in the driver's seat), giving this a very “I feel like we're right there!” feeling to the audience. Black levels are superb, with Ruben’s dark suits popping off the screen at every move, and the Dolby Vision adds a wonderful sense of richness to the colors. Sadly, I can’t compare the disc to the Blu-ray to see the improvements, but judging from what I’m seeing here, I can’t see in what universe the Blu-ray would look close to this.







Audio:

No matter how much I love my eye candy, my ear candy will forever be my first love, and F1: The Movie delivers one of the biggest and most exuberant Atmos mixes I’ve heard in ages. This is a sound system stretcher from the very get-go, with the throbbing power of Formula One racing cars blasting around the track, with squealing brakes and screeching tires careening from one end of the sound stage to the other. Bass is deep and powerful, literally permeating every square inch of the movie. This is a rich and full-bodied track that doesn’t take prisoners, and doesn’t let you off the ride until the credits start a rolling. Simply put, this is pure sonic gold.








Extras:

• Inside the "F1® The Movie" Table Read (featurette) – 5:05. On June 19, 2023, the cast of F1 joined Director Joseph Kosinski and Producer Jerry Bruckheimer at Silverstone for a table read. As excitement and anticipation build, the cast reminisce on the momentous occasion and reflect on their friendships.
• The Anatomy of a Crash (featurette) – 6:23. One of the most intense scenes in the film was loosely inspired by FORMULA 1 driver Romain Grosjean's Bahrain crash in 2020. Take an in-depth look at how this technically challenging scene was filmed practically.
• Getting Up to Speed (featurette) – 5:00. Get the inside track on how Brad Pitt and Damson Idris became racing drivers. Lead driving choreographers Luciano Bacheta and Craig Dolby reveal the hard work and dedication that went into getting the cast behind the wheel and up to speed.
• APXGP Innovations (featurette) – 5:21. Each year, FORMULA 1 teams make serious engineering and technological advancements to their cars. The same can be said for the F1® crew, who worked hard across departments – sound, camera, RF, rigging, stunts, and SFX – and found new ways to innovate.
• Making it to Silverstone (featurette) – 5:04. The first days of filming at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix 2023 at Silverstone took months, if not years, of planning and rehearsal of the Grid Walk and Formation Lap scenes. The goal: to shoot live without disturbing the integrity of the race.
• Lewis Hamilton: Producer (featurette) – 5:14. When Joseph Kosinski decided to make a film about the world of F1, the first person he called was 7-time World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton. Filmmakers discuss Hamilton's value as a producer, how he influenced the script, his set visits, and more!
• APXGP Sets and Locations Around the World (featurette) – 9:17. Welcome to the APXGP garage, designed to fit perfectly into the F1® paddock for filming across the globe. Go beyond the track to see how F1 teams McLaren, Williams, and Mercedes welcomed cast and crew into their factories and team facilities.
• APXGP and F1®: How it was Filmed (featurette) – 5:53. The cast and crew had one hour to film the exciting Red Flag sequence. As it was the climax of the film and the true culmination of the partnership between filmmakers and FORMULA 1, all 10 teams and cars flocked to the pit lane to participate!
• Sound of Speed (featurette) – 5:10. Join Hans Zimmer at AIR Studios for the first recording sessions of F1®'s epic score, with Jerry Bruckheimer joining the session to witness the magic. Zimmer reflects on his desire for the sound of the cars to influence the music of the orchestra.

Final Score: ​

F1: The Movie was an absolute blast. While I love slower-burning films like Ford vs. Ferrari, F1: The Movie is the Michael Bay lite equivalent in the racing world. Big, bold, brash, and full of screeching tires and wisecracks, F1: The Movie was probably one of the best surprises I’ve had all summer. Like Top Gun: Maverick, it took audiences by storm and ended up being the one movie in YEARS that had me going back to the theater multiple times to pay those outrageous prices (seriously? When did going to the theaters get this expensive?). The 4K UHD from Warner Brothers is top-notch on all fronts, with 5/5 audio and video, and a moderate array of extras. Easily one of my top 5 movies since Covid, this is going to get two thumbs up from this guy.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Written by: Joseph Kosinski, Ehren Kruger
Aspect Ratio: 2.391 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), Spanish, French, English DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Studio: Warner Bros
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 155 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 7th, 2025

Recommendation: Great Watch

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[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Missed this in the theater. Will check it out.