Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo
Starring Archie Madekwe, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Djimon Hounsou
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) is an expert at Gran Turismo, and he plays it constantly, to the chagrin of his father Steve (Djimon Hounsou), who feels it's a waste of time and Jann can't make a living from it. Meanwhile, Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), a motorsport marketing executive, unveals his wild idea to the founders of the Gran Turismo game as well as Nissan: host a competition where the best Gran Turismo players in the world compete for a chance to race for Nissan. His idea goes through as long as he finds someone who can guarantee that no one would be hurt, so he enlists the help of expert trainer Jack Slater (David Harbour). Jann, along with nine others, win the qualifying tournament and get a chance to race for Nissan, with Jann eventually winning the competition. As he starts professional racing, however, he learns that the real thing is nothing like the video game, and the stakes are very, very real.
The Good:
"Gran Turismo" is at its heart an underdog story, a tale of a nobody who managed to achieve at what he loved and turn it into something not just profitable, but something that could bring him success in life as a whole. It's an uplifting tale that shows even video game nerds can achieve greatness, even though it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense (seriously, how was this an actual thing? I just don't understand).
The comradere between Archie Madekwe's Jann and David Harbour's Jack is palpable, and you feel their deep connection. At first they're adversaries to a point, where Jann tries to prove himself while Jack tries to prove he can't do it (something typical for a trainer, who at first makes it seem like they want them to fail, but are only harsh to show them how hard the thing actually is). After Jann proves Jack wrong and wins the competition, the two form a tight bond where they trust one another explicitly, and that trust goes beyond just the racetrack. Their friendship and mutual respect goes far beyond, and Jack comes off as a sort of surrogate father figure for Jann, even though his own father isn't as bad as other father figures in these type of movies.
Speaking of Harbour, he completely and utterly steals the show. His charisma and confidence oozes in his performance, and he looks like he's having a great time at it. Though he follows the typical stereotypes of a hard-nosed trainer, he does so with wit and charm that's unequaled.
Neill Blomkamp has a knack for filming styles, and "Gran Turismo" is no different. The racing scenes are exciting and pulse-pounding, with a camera that focuses both inside and outside the car, elevating above the track, and zooming past other drivers like you're in the driver's seat - much like the video game it takes its idea from.
The Bad:
While Jann's story is inspirational, the character himself has a bit to be desired. He comes off first as a know-it-all gamer who defies his parents and effectively serves as your generic troubled teen. During the competition he turns into a whiny brat who has to always be right, and after he wins he becomes an even more insufferable cocky know-it-all, until things go wrong, and he resorts back to his sniveling crybaby persona. Maybe I'm just being harsh, but I didn't care for his character.
Likewise I felt the same for Orlando Bloom's Danny Moore, who essentially is the epitome of a money hungry executive. You don't really know his reasoning for the contest in the first place, and he didn't want Jann to win because he wasn't "camera ready." When Jann does win, he's barely there, and when he is it seems that Bloom has checked out entirely. He's a non-entity that could've been played by any lesser known actor, but having it be Legolas himself ends up as a disappointment.
Speaking of disappointment, when will Hollywood give Djimon Hounsou the credit he deserves? This two-time Oscar nominee has been relegated to background supporting role characters in films like "A Quiet Place Part II," "Shazam!," "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" (where he actually wears a Wonder Woman costume), "Charlie's Angels," "Captain Marvel" and the like. Now he's the generic overbearing father who only wants what's best for his son and thinks playing video games is a one-way ticket to working the shipyard for the rest of his life.
The film is two hours and fifteen minutes, and you could've shaved at least a half hour of the film if you take out the pointless side stories like Jann's love life (which in itself is about two minutes of the movie, and you feel absolutely no connection between the two actors), and Jann and his father's struggles and reconciliation, which, like the aforementioned love life, lasts about two minutes. The film needed more racing and thrills instead of these filler stories.
The Verdict:
Despite an off-kilter script, "Gran Turismo" races far ahead of other video game adaptations by offering a thrilling visual tale and a story that's so insane it has to be true - and it is.
The Score: A-
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