GRAN TURISMO – Review

Hey, as the Summer movie season races (hint) to that Labor Day finish line (again), the studios aren’t quite done with toy-based stories. In that aspect, a new box office champ has been crowned with the “pink princess” zooming past those video game plumbing icons. Now, this new release leans into the latter’s territory as its roots are in the gaming world. Oh, and like the “under the radar” TETRIS flick, it is actually based on a true story, This isn’t a twist on the old “Cold War Cloak and Daggar” thriller like that one or even an “origin story” of the game’s creation. Instead, this is closer to an old-fashioned, grit and glory, sports underdog fable, Yes sports, as we follow one determined young man whose dreams become reality when he enters the world of GRAN TURISMO.

I should clarify that the film does begin with a bit of an origin story as the prologue tells of the FI racing simulation game from Sony PlayStation that became an international sensation following its debut in 1997. Its fame inspires Nissam marketing exec Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) to pitch a radical idea to the auto giant’s board of directors. Monitor the online version’s biggest scorers and enlist them in a contest to find an online gamer who can (after rigorous training) become an actual racing champ. To Danny’s surprise, the bosses give him the OK, if safety is a major factor in this unique promotion. Now Danny’s got to find a racing vet to supervise the “plebs”, getting down to the last name on the list (lots of brisk “no’s”), the former driver now pit crew boss for rival Capa, Jack Salter (David Harbour). Many miles away in Cardiff Wales, college-age (he’s taking a “break” to be a “retail drone”), Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madewke) lives for the newest versions of GT, much to the chagrin of his former football star pop, Steve (Djimin Hounsou). The two really clash over Jann’s future goals. And then Jann gets a frantic call from his pal who manages an online video arcade/cafe. The Turismo game’s home screen is looking for him due to his impressive scores. He’s got to register online and then play the qualifying game at a specific designated time against gamers from around the globe. Despite a major dust-up with Dad, Jann makes it there, and thanks to the influence of his mum Leslie (Geri Halliwell Horner), he’s on his way to the GT Academy in Silverstone. There he quickly forms a bond with the other players from around the globe, while trying to impress Moore (he wants Jann to be more “camera-ready”) and Salter, who insists he’ll veto everybody f they endanger themselves and other racers. But Jann prevails and soon sets out to get his pro license (gotta’ come in fourth in at least one race), and garner some respect from the other pros (even his pit crew is leery of a “sim-racer”). When tragedy strikes, can this rookie charge ahead and make it all the way to the “24 Hours of Les Mans”?

Although he’s not behind the wheel, the film’s best performance is perhaps Harbour as the mentor in the pit, often barking orders into his communications device. As Salter, Harbour calls upon the skills he has honed after the last decade or so as the crusty but kind “pseudo-papa” on “Stranger Things”. Sure he uses a bit of his “snark” while butting heads, but Harbour also shows us the sadness in Jack’s weary eyes as he recalls his past regrets while trying to warn his young charge. After the recent HELLBOY “reboot/misfire”, it’s good to see that Harbour is back with a strong role in a budding franchise. It helps that he has a great on-screen rapport with Madewke, who conveys the unbridled joy of a young adult finally getting a chance to spread his wings, while also attempting to not self-destruct over the burden of this big “risk”. At one point Jann is ready to start “folding clothes”, but Madewke shows us that his spirit has not been broken despite crushing setbacks. Plus he’s got great chemistry with the actor playing Jann’s actual pop, the intimidating Hounsou brings the proper gravitas to Steve who adjusts his attitude and begins to make steps toward an understanding of his son’s passions. The only misstep in the cast may be in the badly underwritten role of Moore. He’s meant to be a lovable huckster, a mesh of Harold Hill and Jerry Maguire, but the talented Bloom is regulated to flashing a frozen grin as he leaps about during manic “sales pitches”. He’s better and deserves better. Also of note is the sneering villain of the piece, Josha Stradowski as the unrepentant, arrogant Nicholas Capa. He’s the sour counterpart to the sweet, but still “spicy”, Halliwell-Horner as the nurturing matriarch.

This sports underdog tale (kind of a high-octane megabit ROCKY) may seem an odd choice for director Neil Blomkamp, perhaps best known for his sci-fi satires DISTRICT 9 and CHAPPIE, but he keeps the pace flowing smoothly while giving us a great teacher in Harbour’s Salter. And he really makes auto racing accessible to FI “newbies” with the use of freeze-framing and graphic “arrows” that let us know just how Jann is faring. Plus there are some interesting uses of computer graphics that “build” the car around Jann during big dramatic sequences that illustrate the complex mechanics at work. And there’s the adrenaline rush in the pit area as they try to get Jann back on the track. Of course, we also get the view from the steering wheel as Jann inches ahead of his rivals (it’s not just accelerating and turning left as you can get “boxed in” and “bumped”). We’re taking to several exotic locales as the “circuit” ramps up. What almost scuttles the story is the “tacked on” romantic subplot for Jann which feels unneeded (much like the romance in THE CAINE MUTINY). Still, it’s a compelling real-life fantasy dream, recalling the video game recruitment 1980s classic THE LAST STARFIGHTER (now Robert Preston. even as a lizard-alien, might have made Danny Moore “work”), and those speed-lovin’ “gear-heads” will want to “pop the clutch” in their multiplex theatre chairs to the thrills and heart of GRAN TURISMO. And there’s the checkered flag…

2.5 Out of 4

GRAN TURISMO is now playing in theatres everywhere