The “Gran Turismo” film was a major surprise for all of us. Based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, and his accomplishments with the short lived GT academy, this looked to be an exciting experience. More importantly it was important for Sony studios, as they were planning an ambitious film marathon of every major PlayStation video game ever. So this had to do well.
The movie opens up exactly as it should, with a respectful tribute to the creator of Gran Turismo, Kazunori Yamauchi. Complete with a racing montage worthy of the Gran Turismo name. From there Orlando Bloom shows up as Danny Moore, a marketing executive with a big idea. He pitches an unprecedented plan to Nissan’s executives, what if there was a racing contest involving players from Gran Turismo, all competing for a racing contract with Team Nissan? He makes a passionate case insisting that traditional buyers no longer dream of open roads and cars, “but eighty million Gran Turismo players around the world do”. After recruiting retired racer/current car mechanic Jack Salter (David Harbour), Danny Moore creates GT Academy. The movie follows the story of Jann Mardenbourough, a young man obsessed with playing Gran Turismo in his bedroom. As one of the best in the world, Jann is given a rare shot at GT academy to compete on the world stage, and what follows next is nothing short of extraordinary.
When I heard about the movie, I was’t really sure what to expect. Somehow I had missed the news there even was a Gran Turismo film in the works. I’ve played the Gran Turismo games off and on over the years, so the movie interested me. Even i was unprepared for what was to follow. Rather than be an overly dramatized production, “Gran Turismo” is a racing fans dream come true. Both for Jann Mardenborough and the audience. The racing scenes look excellent and are plentiful as well. There’s a great street racing sequence involving a VW Corrado, the Nissan GT-R Nismo features prominently, and there’s even appearances from a Porsche 911 R and a gold plated Lamborghini.
Of course, this is where things become interesting. In order to effectively create a worthy Gan Turismo film, one must find a way to balance the world of racing sims with real world racing. This is no small feat, and yet to my delight “Gran Turismo” balances the two beyond my expectations. Multiple scenes throughout the movie show Jann tuning out the world around him and mentally reverting back to playing Gran Turismo in his room, as he’s careening down Abu Dhabi at 200 MPH. All rendering in absolutely stunning cinematography work. I’ve seen most of the great racing films, from “The Fast & The Furious” to “Gone in 60 Seconds” and I think “Gran Turismo” has well earned its place amongst the greats. The racing sequences are adrenaline fused enough to make even Steve McQueen proud.
My favorite aspect of watching “Gran Turismo” is that it manages to be more than just a movie with fast cars. Emotionally “Gran Turismo” scores big in my book. It’s hard not to root for Jann Mardenborough as he risks everything in his life to pursue his dream of being a professional race driver. Equally as much I enjoyed watching David Harbours character. Harbour brings his usual gruffness to the character of Jack Salter, but more than that, he brings a lot of weight and empathy as well. I’d go as far as to say, this is one of Harbour’s best performances yet.
No one can discuss “Gran Turismo” with acknowledging the liberal use of creative license. Throughout the movie Jann is portrayed as playing “Gran Turismo 7” when in reality, Mardenborough entered GT Academy back in 2014, which would put him playing “Gran Turismo 5” in reality. This comes across as a marketing ploy rather than a production goof, but still. Small things like that are sprinkled throughout the movie, and it is noticeable.
Despite small inconsistencies such as the aforementioned, “Gran Turismo” still shines in all the best ways. I counted at least four times through the movie where I wanted to jump off my couch and yell, “PUNCH IT JANN! C’MON!” It’s been a while since I have watched a movie and wanted the main character to achieve victory so badly. I am very pleased to say that “Gran Turismo” is absolutely a film well worth your time. A massive love letter to racing and the Gran Turismo franchise. What also makes this such a good time is not only the great racing scenes (which are good), or the excellent acting (also good), but how well it ties all of the above together. I enjoyed every moment of this movie and highly recommend it.
