The action is top-notch. The script? Not so much. Even if director Neill Blomkamp tends to overuse the best of the film’s qualities, the most important to ask here is: Is Blomkamp back? And the answer is: Absolutely!

Neill Blomkamp has been known to many as a hit one wonder as District 9 was his first, and only well-received, movie; however, there has still been hope for the filmmaker. This is perhaps the comeback of his once promising career. Personally, I have aways been a fan of his and see his other films as more so underrated, so I have been one of those holding out hope for him. Many might not know that this is from the same director of the 2009 hit movie as the movie has geared its promotion more towards it being based on a true story. Mentioning of the promotions, the film really seemed to set itself up as a film as cliché as one may imagine. In the end, I’d say that the film does more than that and manages to be one of the standout films of 2023. Maybe even on a rewatch, the score may even go up.

The film’s strongest qualities is within its storytelling, cinematography, and acting from some of the major talent. The way the story plays out is somewhat similar to your typical sports film, but makes it even more personable. The lead character, Jann Mardenborough, played by Archie Madekwe, plays a convincing role as someone who is struggling to get to where he wants to be even though he has the talent. Going forward, Madekwe certainly has a promising career that will put his name as the top billing. David Harbour is also very good in this. He essentially plays the same role that he does in Stranger Things as a cold, hard-pressed father surrogate. What makes his character stand out more than just playing a one-note character is his ability to do the right thing and manage to have his own personal journey in the film.

Now, my personal favorite aspect of the film is within the cinematography and editing. This is truly unlike any other racecar movie I have ever seen. The cinematography manages to keep the eyes admiring the entire screen. The way it flows from angle to angle gives the perspective that you are there in the This is how to change the same in the genre that will make people interesting in watching them. Fast & Furious, take notes.

What doesn’t work as well for the film is the overuse of its strongest qualities and how they interpret some of the other characters. As mentioned, the cinematography and editing are insane; however, it is used a lot. After a little while, it can get quite tedious. The cinematography is fun and engaging, yet tends to overuse shots like a group of people cheering or using Dutch angle shots from helicopters. I’d need to see it again, but it does feel like certain shots get used over and over again. For example, the editing shows which place the main character is in from time to time. It’s a unique take on the genre and gets the audience in on the action, but there is one particular scene where not only does the film show it, but it also shows up as a title screen of what place he is in. It can all get a little tedious from time to time. If anything, it felt like these particular methods were great at first, but managed to be overused for the sake of ensuring the movie was good instead of doing something different from time to time.

At 2 hours and 15 minutes, I was feeling the runtime a bit at the middle of the film. There is so much explored throughout the film, yet fails to give any of the other characters the needed life it needed, particularly Orlando Bloom’s character. There is really no reason or rhyme to why he is doing what he is doing. At first, it seems like he is down on his luck, but it is never explored. Then, it appears that he is actually okay, but he goes back and forth on the way he treats other people. There are also some other characters introduced in the first act that go nowhere other than to be a challenge to the main character. Why shouldn’t we care for the other characters going against him? Considering how long the film is, there was some lost potential to further explore this world and the characters it inhabits.

Overall, Grand Turismo is one of the best best crowd-pleasing films in recent memory despite its flaws. The cheering and applauding in the theater was very welcoming. Every single great quality of this film is earned and makes it far from being a movie that you cannot miss.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)