Gran Turismo (English) Movie Review: On the whole, GRAN TURISMO works due to the plot, performances, cinematography and unique special effects.

GRAN TURISMO is the story of a boy’s journey from being a gamer to a professional car racer. Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) lives in Cardiff, United Kingdom with his father Steve (Djimon Hounsou), mother Lesley (Geri Halliwell) and younger brother Coby (Daniel Puig). Steve has been a footballer and wants Jann to pursue the sport as well. But he has no interest in it and instead prefers to play Gran Turismo, a car racing game. Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), a marketing professional at Nissan, floats an idea whereby he wants to have a contest between Gran Turismo players. The ones who fare best will be enrolled in the GT Academy. The players would be trained and get a chance to become professional car racers. Jann's performance has been impressive and he gets the invitation to participate in the contest. Jann competes with 11 best players of different nationalities and defeats them. He moves to the GT Academy at Northampton where the trainer is Jack Salter (David Harbour). Jack is a tough coach and extensively trains the players. Out of 11, he shortlists the final five players. Jann makes it to the coveted list. In the race, Jann emerges triumphant. He now gets a chance to play in six upcoming races. He only has to get to the fourth position, or higher, in order to get his FIA license. But it won't be an easy task. Until now, Jann was competing virtually or with fellow gamers. Now, he'll be on the track alongside expert racers. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Jason Hall and Alex Tse's story is unlike other sports biopics. Jason Hall and Zach Baylin's screenplay is engaging for most parts. But the climax has a strong resemblance to a similar film and hence, the desired impact is not made. The dialogues are conversational.

Neill Blomkamp's direction is overall fine. The characters are well fleshed out and the bond shared by them makes for a great watch. The film is technically quite strong. The scenes where Jann, who’s at home, suddenly seems to be on the racing track, make for an awesome watch, especially on the big screen. The real racing scenes are also treated like a video game. Moreover, care has been taken to ensure that amid two dozen cars, one is able to understand which car belongs to Jann in the race.

On the flipside, Jann’s family is forgotten after a point and they are shown only during the Nürburgring, Germany racing sequence. The film is devoid of a clap-worthy scene. It’s not properly explained that Jann is not media-friendly and this forms an important plot point in the movie. And the biggest issue with the film is that the finale instantly reminds one of FORD V FERRARI [2019]. That film is a classic and also depicts the challenges of the Le Mans 24-hour race. Hence, one doesn’t feel the novelty factor while watching the finale of GRAN TURISMO. On top of it, by the time the finale unfolds on screen, one has already seen too many races.

Speaking of performances, Archie Madekwe is in fine form. He underplays his role nicely. David Harbour shines. Orlando Bloom is lovely and apt for the part. Djimon Hounsou is too good, though he gets limited scope. Geri Halliwell is hardly there. Daniel Puig disappears after the first 30 minutes. Maeve Courtier-Lilley (Audrey) is decent. Josha Stradowski (Nicholas Capa) is passable.

Lorne Balfe and Andrew Kawczynski's music is in sync with the film’s mood. Jacques Jouffret's cinematography is breathtaking. The camera movement in certain race scenes is terrific. Martin Whist's production design is authentic. Terry Anderson's costumes are nothing special. VFX are unique and never-seen-before. Austyn Daines and Colby Parker Jr's editing is smart in some scenes but overall, it could have been sharper.

On the whole, GRAN TURISMO works due to the plot, performances, cinematography and unique special effects. But it suffers as it’s a bit similar to FORD V FERRARI. At the box office, it might find takers in urban areas though the immense competition from new and holdover releases can prove detrimental.

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