Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch
Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo is one of the better video game movies precisely because it doesn’t rely on the game at all to tell its story.
PLOT: The true story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a gifted Gran Turismo player who parlayed his skills into a professional race car driving career.
REVIEW: While some might roll their eyes at the notion of Hollywood making a movie out of Gran Turismo, the famed racing simulator, this is a surprisingly rock-solid effort that’s not much of a video game adaptation at all. Similar to the recent Tetris, this is less of a video game adaptation than a dramatization of a fascinating true story that involved the game. Nissan did hold a competition in which players of Gran Turismo were given the chance to train as professional racing drivers. Mardenborough’s talent on the track was so great that he became a professional racer in F1.
This is a sports movie that offers Neill Blomkamp a nice change of pace. You don’t need to be a fan of Gran Turismo to enjoy this movie, but fans will notice that Blomkamp uses aspects of the game to dramatize racing scenes in a manner that complements the story, rather than dominates. He’s lucky that a Nissan executive (Orlando Bloom), has a crazy idea. He wants to create GT Academy, which will train players of
GranTurismo to become race car drivers. What’s crazy is that the concept worked better than anyone could have thought, with the shy, humble Mardenborough having had a promising career behind the wheel (he also doubles for Madekwe during the racing scenes).While it hits all the requisite underdog movie beats (rivals on the track, grumpy mentors, disapproving parents), it can’t be denied the movie works well, thanks mainly to Blomkamp’s style and the game cast. Madekwe, who plays Mardenborough’s mentor, is a real find. She gives him a lot more vulnerability and makes him someone you can root for. David Harbour plays Jann’s trainer who initially believes the GT Academy concept is nonsense, but later becomes a believer. Harbour has enough edge to keep his part from becoming too sentimental. Blomkamp does a great job of balancing the realistic, immersive racing action with the style of the game. While this lacks the hardcore tone of Blomkamp’s sci-fi films, it’s a good stab at mainstream studio filming from the director, and he’s done an excellent job making a family crowd-pleaser.One thing’s sure; Gran Turismo
is a movie made for the big screen. It’s difficult to get people to the cinemas for a non franchise film in this streaming age. Basing this movie on a videogame is a clever way to do a classic sports flick while still having an advantage of a known IP. You’ll probably enjoy this even if you’ve never played Gran Turismo. It’s an excellent way to end the summer, and hopefully, it finds its audience.
8
Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch
