Gran Turismo review: video game adaptation has action-packed racing scenes, lacks compelling storyline
- Based on hit PlayStation franchise, movie draws from the true story of Jann Mardenborough, whose gaming skills helped him become a professional racing driver
- Film stars Archie Madekwe as the main protagonist and Stranger Things’ David Harbour as his mentor, Jake Salter
Archie Madekwe (left) plays a young gamer who gets the chance to become a racing driver. Photo: Sony Pictures via APGran Turismo, a popular racing simulation game, has been adapted into an action film with roaring sports cars and a compelling underdog story.
Unlike other video games, such as Super Mario and The Last of Us, that have recently been turned into movies or shows, Gran Turismo does not have a story mode – players of the biggest video game franchise on PlayStation choose different vehicles and compete in increasingly difficult races.
Thus, the film’s screenwriters, Jason Hall and Zach Baylin, have turned to the real world for their plot, which is based on a true story about Jann Mardenborough, a British teen whose gaming skills helped him achieve his dream of being a professional racing driver.
The movie starts with Nissan executive Dani Moore (Orlando Bloom) inviting Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe) and other Gran Turismo players to the GT Academy, where they will compete to earn the chance of becoming professional racing drivers.
Eventually, the 19-year-old speeds ahead of his peers to earn his seat in the white Nissan GT-R racing car.
But there are plenty of challenges in racing that a video game could not have prepared the teen for, such as adjusting the gravitational force on the car and dealing with the press.
The film’s best invention is Jake Salter (David Harbour), who is drafted by Nissan to train and protect the young racers. Though he is harsh, he becomes a key mentor for Mardenborough. Harbour – best known for his father-figure role in Netflix’s Stranger Things – imbues the character with an ornery warmth, and he is responsible for many of the film’s biggest laughs and most touching moments.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is full of thrilling absurdity
Though most of the scenes are based on real-life events, the film compresses and reorders different moments to build a more exciting plotline. For example, the real-world Mardenborough competed in the GT academy team of sim drivers, finished third in his class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – one of the toughest races in the world – and survived a horrific accident at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany.
But the writers took liberties with the story by positioning the accident, where a spectator was killed, as an inspirational moment before the 24 Hours of Le Mans – an aspect of the movie that has been criticised as tasteless.
Even still, the storytelling techniques feel archaic, and the film lacks tension because the audience expects the protagonist to succeed in the big race. After all, why would anyone make a movie about someone who finishes last?
So the underdog team gets its standard treatment: nobody respects Mardenborough, and even the engineers make fun of the rookie driver. The only genuine drama comes from a couple of bad crashes, one of which is a true tragedy highlighting the dangers of this sport.
Director Neil Blomkamp, known for District 9 and other science fiction films, tries to cover a lot in two hours and thins out some elements in the film, reducing a thrilling hours-long race to only a few minutes of racing highlights.
Also, the film could have touched more on how video games can break down real-world barriers, as they did for Mardenborough, who was given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to enter an elitist sport.
Nonetheless, the movie’s special effects are enticing; for example, when the car’s bodywork materialises around players as they drive in the racing simulator. There are also racing sequences that keep the audience on the edge of their seats with visuals reminiscent of the street-racer film series Fast and Furious.
Overall, though Gran Turismo’s storyline is simple, it has plenty of action and visual effects to make the ticket worthwhile.