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Currently pursuing a film career with a passion for film journalism, storytelling of any kind has allowed me to let my imagination run wild in ways even I couldn’t predict. Expect me to write about film, TV, and the entertainment industry.
South African-Canadian filmmaker Neill Blomkamp has been in a weird place in his career since his critically acclaimed film debut, District 9. Nominated for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards, many believed Blomkamp to be the next big director. While his eye for visual storytelling remained strong, his work didn’t fully engage audiences or critics.
Elysium wasn’t regarded with much prestige, nor did it gain a cult following. Chappie was panned by mostly everyone who watched it. Gran Turismo doesn’t only have the pressure of hopefully recapturing audiences and critics’ admiration for Blomkamp’s filmmaking. It has to serve as a video game adaptation and a sports biopic… so does it accomplish it?
The Screenplay
Based on a true story, Gran Turismo sees a team of outsiders who are fighting against all odds to prove doubters wrong. Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe, Beau Is Afraid) is a struggling working-class gamer, yearning to one day become a real racer. Jack Salter (David Harbour, Stranger Things) is a failed former racecar driver. Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom, Carnival Row) is an idealistic motorsport executive. Together, they risk it all to take on the most elite sport in the world: racing.
Gran Turismo co-screenwriters Jason Hall and Zach Baylin’s script is very simple to keep track of. The script is not interested in changing the “underdog athlete” clichés. It is extremely predictable, and yet, it kind of cherishes those tropes. It’s lighthearted, though it does get serious whenever necessary. At times, the film does end up feeling more like a melodrama than a gripping biography, but the cast does steer the ship to engaging horizons.
The True Story Behind the Wheel
The true story itself can sometimes be a bit hard to believe, but that might be by design with the concept of a gamer turning into a racer. With that said, as a PlayStation production, Gran Turismo can often come across as a movie that is patting itself on the back for inspiring folks to become more than just gamers thanks to a video game. It’s almost as if saying, “See? We’re doing good in the world.”
It feels tacky rather than naturally blended into the project. With that out of the way, though, Jann Mardenborough’s success story can’t be understated. Blomkamp doesn’t shy away from showing the ugly things Jann Mardenborough faced in his journey. Particularly, he was involved in a racing tragedy that the crew pulls off with respect, and a solid eye for visuals.
Where Elysium & Chappie Failed, and Gran Turismo Succeeds?
Blomkamp choosing to make this his next project proves that the director’s personal sensitivities are still present. What made District 9 special was its social commentary, the way the filmmakers chose to juxtapose those themes, and the art direction that made a $30 million sci-fi picture seem more epic than you’d expect. But also, it’s a deeply human story.
District 9’s protagonist starts off his arc incapable of sympathizing with the “illegal aliens”, both literally and metaphorically, only to end up becoming one of them and dealing with the fact that he wasn’t that different from the outsiders, to begin with. It challenges the character and the audience by asking them to give the protagonist a shot at redemption.
Elysium and Chappie attempt to reach that level of sincerity, but their messages get lost in the spectacle and bigger budgets. This is very much a case of style over substance. On the other hand, this film, clichés and all, works because it does have a heart. It has an interest in putting its set pieces to the side in favor of character work. Is it as magnificently crafted as in District 9? Not even close. You could say it’s the bare minimum. Does it engage you, though? Yeah, for the most part. Neill Blomkamp still manages to show off his bag of tricks, but not at the expense of his storytelling.
The Racer, Former Driver, & Motorsports Executive
Gran Turismo’s emotional core would be nonexistent without the core three cast members in Madekwe, Harbour, and Bloom. You may have seen this type of relationship before in numerous other productions, but for what it’s worth, the formula works here. Bloom is your likable douchebag, Harbour is the failed talent turned teacher, and Madekwe is the guy desperately trying to fit in a world where he doesn’t feel welcomed.
Although all three of these actors are quite entertaining to follow, David Harbour is the clear standout. An argument can be made that he’s essentially playing a slightly different version of Hopper from Stranger Things. Salter fits the stereotype of the grumpy older man with a tortured past. Regardless, Harbour brings a sincere amount of light-hearted humor and emotion. The film is at its best when it’s him and Madekwe together on screen.
Madekwe’s Jann is an easy leading man to root for. It’s sort of insane how Mardenborough’s true story lends itself to a solid underdog tale. You feel for Jann’s dreams and struggles almost immediately. While he can act as a brat at times, particularly with his father, Steve (Djimon Hounsou, Shazam! Fury of the Gods), Madekwe never fails to bring Jann back to earth and expose his frustration. His subplot with his love interest, Audrey (Maeve Courtier-Lilley), doesn’t really add much to either the narrative or his arc. His family relationships are rather thin. It’s odd to see Jann have better chemistry and development with Harbour’s Jack than his actual father, but it doesn’t detract from the emotional core Gran Turismo manages to achieve.
Shot Like a Video Game
When describing a movie that looks like a video game, the phrase is usually used as an insult rather than a compliment. Although there are sequences in Gran Turismo that do not look or feel real, it seems more purposeful here than in most adaptations. Scenes will show Jann immersing himself in one of his gaming sessions then transition to how he imagines a car slowly forming around him. The VFX work is delightful, as it manages to capture what it is like to play a video game and picture yourself inside that world.
Director of Photography Jacques Jouffret implements some really cool drone shots during the racing set pieces. They add a sense of danger that makes each race more intense than the last. Unfortunately, the way these drone shots are edited in the final cut of the film doesn’t give you enough time to appreciate the work put into them. The shots aren’t held long enough, resulting in missing a couple if you blink.
As for the race scenes themselves, they are quite magnificent to behold. The issue with them is that they often feel a bit repetitive. This isn’t due to how they are shot. Rather, they are just structured similarly to one another, hence it becomes hard to differentiate which one is which. Another racing biopic directed by James Mangold, Ford v Ferrari, doesn’t suffer from this problem. That picture saves the big racing moments for the third act. Having several spread out across the movie’s runtime makes them feel less special.
Final Thoughts on Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo is relatively straightforward, but that’s where it succeeds. Neill Blomkamp choosing to scale down – not necessarily in the budget – in terms of concept and execution helped him create a charming and entertaining sports drama. Moreover, it is a drama that is focused on human connections and dreams. The film won’t change your perception of video games or the themes that it explores, but these ideas are told in a relatable manner that makes it easy for anyone to enjoy and kill two hours of their time.
3.5/5 stars.
Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo releases in the United Kingdom tomorrow, August 9th, then will have a limited release in the United States on August 11th before having a wide release on August 25th!
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Currently pursuing a film career with a passion for film journalism, storytelling of any kind has allowed me to let my imagination run wild in ways even I couldn’t predict. Expect me to write about film, TV, and the entertainment industry.
