'Gran Turismo' film review: Slick, high-octane ride (that's also a by-the-numbers biopic)
An everyday gamer gets the chance of a lifetime and realize his racing dreams in the action biopic 'Gran Turismo' (in theaters August 25).
In short: Based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a working-class gamer struggling, aspiring race car driver and 'Gran Turismo' video game expert is given the opportunity to become a real-life race car driver.
'Gran Turismo' is an unusual layering of two different genres that don't often get mashed up: it's a movie based on a video game ... and yet it's also biopic that's based on a true story. And the titular video game the entire movie is based on is not so much a conventional "game" (with a hero, story and plot), but rather, the 'Gran Turismo' franchise prides itself as being a "racing simulator."
All that said, this part-biopic, part-racing flick and part-video game flick is a fun bit of cinema entertainment that is greater than the sum of its mediocre parts.
Because the 'Gran Turismo' games do not have characters or a plot, the film overcompensates by repeating time and again that the storied games are 'racing simulators' and not merely fun or silly video games. This point is stressed so firmly and so flatly that the movie feels like a 2-hour commercial for the 'Gran Turismo' video games. This movie could absolutely be edited down to a short sizzle reel and shown at an upcoming video game event and it would totally pass as a promotion teaser for the next 'Gran Turismo' game.
The script's efforts to legitimize the 'racing simulator' aspects of the game rarely go beyond mere exposition. The film only affords Jann scant moments of screen time when he's actually allowed to show how much knowledge he's scraped about real-life cars and driving just from the games. Sadly, 'Gran Turismo' generally opts out from "show, don't tell" and settles for some lazy dialogue that just states "Jann is good at racing because he plays Gran Turismo a lot."
The video game aspect of 'Gran Turismo' is little more than a gimmick really - at its core, this film is a pretty standard "diamond in the rough" sports biopic. Jann Mardenborough is a real professional race car driver and this is his (albeit) unlikely story from everyday kid to world class driver. And it hits so many familiar beats in so many sports or racing biographical flicks. Weirdly, some of the more intriguing and possibly unique experiences of Jann's early career are only touched upon and they have no pay off.
At one point, a marketing suit notes how not "camera ready" Jann is - and Jann is admittedly not very charismatic during his 1-on-1 interviews. This is such a concern that it's touted as a very real threat to Jann becoming a real-life driver. ... And it never comes up again. It's never shown if his on-camera presence improves. It's never shown if his on-camera awkwardness becomes a material problem later on. The point is brought up - and it's quickly abandoned ... because it was merely a plot point that had to be mitigated. Without going into spoilers, Jann is involved in a serious accident with serious consequences - and an investigation hangs over his head. But after one pretty great dramatic scene, the very real stakes hung over Jann's head ... just disappear. Another consequence that is brought up and quickly abandoned.
Yet oddly, this biopic without real stakes that moonlights as a commercial for the 'Gran Turismo' games ... is a pretty fun little movie. David Harbour is absolutely the heart and soul of 'Gran Turismo' as the skeptical and grizzled racing veteran who doesn't believe a gamer has any place on the race track. While the individual parts of the flick are not particularly revolutionary, 'Gran Turismo' does find a pretty good balance - just when the movie feels too much like a commercial for the games, the plot pivots to a sports biopic. And just when the plot's pretty generic formula starts to reveal itself, the flick pivots back to video game racing intensity. It's this intriguing blend that keep the flick on track.
Final verdict: While not the best sports biopic or racing flick or video game flick, 'Gran Turismo' is an enjoyable blend of these genres that makes for a fun summer rush.
Score: 3/5
'Gran Turismo' opens in theaters nationwide on August 21. This racing biopic has a runtime of 135 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense action and some strong language.
