Review - Gran Turismo (2023)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and I just went to see the new movie Gran Turismo, based on the PlayStation video game franchise of the same name, directed by Neill Blomkamp, and starring Archie Madekwe, Djimon Hounsou, Orlando Bloom, and David Harbour. 

         So, the movie tells the real life story of Jann Mardenborough, who was an avid player of the driving simulator Gran Turismo on PlayStation, entered the Nissan GT Academy, and won an opportunity to race professionally. And, I'm not going to lie, this was quite honestly the most gripping underdog drama I've seen this year. Archie Madekwe did an excellent job with his portrayal of Jann Mardenborough. And fun fact, the real life Jann Mardenborough acted as his own driving double in this movie. 

        Some of the other performances I enjoyed came from David Harbour as Jack Salter and Orlando Bloom as Danny Moore. Both actors are the anchor point of the story, as Moore (based on GT ACA creator Darren Cox) was shown as the mastermind of the idea to take a group of the best Gran Turismo players in the world and train them to become real racers. And Salter was the trainer who, despite initial misgivings, became much more supportive, especially of Mardenborough. I also enjoyed the performances of Djimon Honsou, Geri Halliwell, and Daniel Puig as Mardenborough's family. 

         The driving and racing scenes in this movie are probably among the best put on film in a long time. The way that director Neill Blomkamp captures the cars going at top speed, and also integrates imagery and iconography from the actual Gran Turismo games is actually quite clever, and makes this movie seem more immersive than I would have expected. Now, one bit that was included from Mardenborough's career, which Mardenborough himself gave permission to include in the movie, was a horrific crash that Mardenborough had at Nürburgring in 2015, which did cost the life of a spectator. According to Mardenborough, not including it in the film would have been a disservice to his story, and I'm very glad it was included. 

         Overall, Neill Blomkamp made one fantastic movie, and quite possibly his best since District 9. Also, I think that this ranks up there with Oppenheimer as one of the best movies I've seen so far this year. So, if you're looking for a gripping character drama that's easy to follow, tells a real underdog story, and has some of the best driving in a movie I've seen in a while, then I highly recommend checking out Gran Turismo. I especially recommend seeing it if you're an avid gamer, whether you've played Gran Turismo or not. So, I'm giving Gran Turismo a rating of 5/5. 

        Okay guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next month with my review of The Dark Tower.

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