Gran Turismo is a movie I never raced to the theatres to see. That’s because the director, Neill Blomkamp, is more synonymous with indie than studio manufactured content. I adore Chappie and District 9, and when he’s not attached to writing this latest, my trepidation was warrented.
The idea of telling the story about a video gamer turned racer is interesting enough to adapt to a motion picture. After all, if I’m to say I love Jean-Claude Van Damme‘s Bloodsport, then I should give this movie a chance too. And when Santa Sony Pictures sent me their home video release for me to evaluate. I’m glad I saw this film through my home theatre’s sound system. The only Dolby ATMOS certified cinema is out in the Western Communities and everything else in town pales in comparison (save for the Royal BC Museum’s IMAX).
Here, this director is balancing between two stories. One concerns Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), an ordinary teen from Wales who gets thrown into the lion’s cage of motor sports and the other is about Jack Salter (David Harbour), a rather salty mechanic (hence his last name, and was once a racer himself) who doesn’t think these nerds who never moved out of their parent’s basement can succeed. This actor really steals the show, and although he’s not the true villain, Josha Stradowski as a rival speed racer Nicholas Capa is. Whatever beef he has with the protagonist, his motives felt trivial. He most likely hated Jann because he worked hard to get to where he is and there’s history between him and Salter–a story that isn’t all that well explored.
Overall, the film’s big set pieces deliver the action, and it’s not as CGI intense as I’d thought. The bonus features reveal some things that’s not known and what’s offered makes for a better for at home viewing than at the theatres. For example, this filmmaker wanted viewers to experience that thrill in watching this motorsport and I suspect the IMAX presentation is the only way to enjoy this film as intended.
What’s revealed is that he had a lot of drone cameras flying around to capture that from all angles and mount other lenses to include some in the edge of your seat moments when accidents happen! The sonic design is gorgeous. Although the blu-ray offered a Dolby 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix, I changed my sound system’s settings to fill in the rear channels for a complete seven speaker surround soundscape.
As for the story, there are elements that could’ve been removed and still keep the drama going. I thought little of the romantic angle, and the tension between father and son needed better development. By the time the movie nears the finishing line, the resolution feels rushed. Had the deleted scene about Jaan seeing his parents at a restaurant been kept, I’d buy it.
Thankfully, what’s shown at least reveals how Neil even had doubts about translating the concept from screenwriters Jason Hall and Zach Baylin to something movie goers would like. Ultimately, I wanted to know more about how this film was made. When considering this motion picture is based on the video game, paying homage to the video game, Gran Turismo, is necessary. And like other movies based on real-life go, just what’s fact versus fiction is a tough juggling act. There’s a lot more story to tell showing whether Jaan succeeded in giving video gamers their place in real competitive sports.
As for what racing films are best, it’s hard to top the PIXAR’s Cars for its overall construction. I’d say this work has its place in the lexicon of overcoming fears with a sport. It’s at least better than Days of Thunder. As for whether Blomkamp can regain that touch that defined his earlier works, all he has to do is start writing his own movies again!
3 Stars out of 5
Gran Turismo Movie Trailer
