'Gran Turismo' review: A feel-good film on video gamer-turned-pro racer

Archie Madekwe, David Harbour, and Orlando Bloom star in this sports drama inspired by real events

Husain Rizvi

Published: Wed 9 Aug 2023, 6:35 PM

I went to the cinema to watch Gran Turismo as an avid gamer whose interest piques at the mention of a video game adaptation. It is very rare that a film or series, based on a video game, is done well, barring exceptions like The Last of Us, The Witcher, and a few other titles.

But Gran Turismo, out tomorrow in UAE cinemas, has less in common with the game of the same name (and that’s fair because there is no story to make out of the game), instead it is a feel-good film, or a biopic, by Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie) on Jann Mardenborough, portrayed by a tall (much taller than his real-life counterpart) and endearing Archie Madekwe, a video gamer whose ambitions lead him to become a real-life professional motorsport racer.

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From how we see in the film, Jann is every gamer kid/teen in late 2000s and early 2010s. Residing in Cardiff, Jann has given up on studies and is so invested in the video game Gran Turismo that he stomps on “everyone who has walked through the door” of a local video game cafe, and later all the others competing for the top spot in the academy. But his father (Djimon Hounsou), like many other other fathers, looks down upon video games. In Jann’s case, the father also says that there is no future in racing. In the film, he not only proves him wrong, but also makes a case for all video gamers who are made to believe that they’re not achievers and cannot excel in anything. In a way, his victory feels personal and can highly resonate with all video gamers who want to make it big in the real world, though not necessarily in the same manner Jann does.

Jann’s adamant efforts do put him in a real racing car on a real racing track as part of the GT Academy, a Nissan-sponsored promotion led by the Japanese car brand’s marketing executive Danny Moore, played by Orlando Bloom. He’s all about face value and how to increase it. In a way, the film also takes a dig at marketing professionals for whom, everything is a “marketing extravaganza”, just like Orlando yells out in the film.

We’re thankful for the presence of David Harbour, who plays Jack Salter, the chief engineer who signs up with GT Academy to prove simulation drivers won’t make it in the real racing world, and to give anti-pep talks. But hey, that’s tough love and we’re all in for it. Obviously, he has a backstory; he could’ve been the best of his time but couldn’t, so he lives his dream through Jann when he bags the podium in Le Mans, a 24-hour race in France. That’s where Jann becomes “immortal”, and that’s how the feel-good story of the video gamer-turned-pro racer comes to an end.

Gran Turismo essentially captures what a real race car driver faces while racing those tracks; all the gear-shifts and clutch taps on those steep turns were compelling enough for a viewer to feel such thrill in the cinema hall, and the cheers and applause were testament to the same. Not just the cheers and applause, but also the gasps when crashes were portrayed in the picture. Other notable shots are special effects transforming Jann’s surrounding as though he were in a real car when he’s merely sat in front of his PlayStation.

In conclusion, Gran Turismo makes you feel good about Jann’s story (it makes you root for him), and is actually enjoyable to everyone, especially car enthusiasts, with all the whooshes on tracks in France, Austria, Germany, UK, Japan, and even in the UAE’s Dubai Autodrome. That is when you ignore the hordes of logos that fit on screen, making it seem like a marketing extravaganza for Sony PlayStation and its exclusive video game Gran Turismo.

I went in being an avid gamer but left with a desire to learn more about cars, how they function, and the thrilling, speed-filled world of motor racing.