Watch - In Theatres
Phone Time - N/A
OH SHIT Moments - 2
Good Time vs Run Time - 1h 35m / 2h 15m
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SHOULD YOU WATCH?
GRAN TURISMO IS THE BOYS' ANSWER TO BARBIE. What we have here is the type of movie that the ladies are completely OUT on and THE BOYS are completely IN on. DON'T GET ME WRONG, THIS ISN'T GOING TO BE AN INSTANT CLASSIC THAT'S TALKED ABOUT FOR YEARS BUT IT WILL SERVE A PURPOSE WHICH IS TO GET THE BOYS HYPED AND THEY DESERVE IT. We endured the BARBIE craze and fellas you probably had to endure that date where you pretended that you understood what went on in BARBIE despite feeling like that movie was meant to take you down a peg, which it wasn't but let's be honest we couldn't help but feel that way. Now it's our turn, everybody thought OPPENHEIMER was the male version of BARBIE but OPPENHEIMER'S emphasis was on the world's lack of ability to control themselves in the weapons department, they weren't emphasizing the trials and tribulations of the modern man. GRAN TURISMO, AS GOOFY AS IT SOUNDS, IS FOCUSED ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN IN MODERN TIMES AND HOW HARD THAT CAN BE, ALL WITHOUT TAKING ONE SHOT AT WOMEN I MIGHT ADD.
Ladies, if your man enjoys cars in almost any capacity, if he likes realistic video games and hanging with his friends online, if he has a dream which he may never come to realize because he's too busy being a man, working a job he hates to support his family, then do him a favor and take him (or at the very least let him) see this one in theatres. Fellas, if you are so lucky as to leave your mother-in-law and aching wife with the new born for a couple hours or to dip out on work early while your wife herds 3 hyper kids into a bath, this is a very viable option for you. For the most ideal night, I would recommend you and your boys get together early for a bunch of drinks in the basement and play a bunch of racing games until show time. Get to the the theatre, this is one of those movies that you absolutely will not care about at home, because you need to feel the rumble of that IMAX theatre and have a good reason to turn off your glowing slab. GRAN TURISMO is going to make the guys feel like those years sunk into their video games might not be as bad a thing as the world would have them believe. It's going to make every man that has to be hard on their delusional family member or friend for having an insane dream feel some catharsis about why they had to do that. A WORD OF WARNING TO ALL THE GUYS WHO THINK THEY'RE GOING TO SEE FAST 11, IT GETS KIND OF EMOTIONAL IN THE MIDDLE AND YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF DEALING WITH ALL YOUR DADDY ISSUES, SO TRY NOT TO CRY IN FRONT OF YOUR BOYS. BUT IF YOU DO SEE ONE OF THEM CRYING DON'T MAKE THEM REGRET IT JUST CAUSE HE CAN FEEL FEELINGS AND YOU'RE STILL LOCKED UP LIKE A WW1 VET IN 1935.
What Gran Turismo does that compares to Barbie is the demonstration of what it's like to be a man. To have to find a path and stick to it even if it's highly unlikely that this path will result in success. It's about having to overcome the fear of commitment, of having to make something of yourself which nobody can do for you, and of having to admit when you're wrong. As a man you have to make decisions, commit through to their result, and live with the path you've chosen which you can only walk alone.
In terms of actual filmmaking quality, GRAN TURISMO leaves a lot on the table. The story, although based on real events, doesn't necessarily get to the truth of who these characters are. FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU'RE A FAN OF DAVID HARBOUR YOU SHOULD PROBABLY REEVALUATE YOUR TASTE IN ACTORS BECAUSE HE'S TRYING REALLLLLY HARD AND NOT PULLING IT OFF, HE'S NOT TOUGH, HE'S NOT MEAN, AND HE'S CERTAINLY NOT FUNNY, WHAT HE IS, IS GOOFY. Orlando Bloom does a pretty good job with his small role in this one although he comes across as more likeable than I think they intended which obviously is just a casting mistake. The bad guy isn't scaring anybody or even making them mad. Archie Madekwe playing the main character does a great job with what he's given but since we don't know him we have a hard time relating to him. I understand that the unknown actor some times has an affect of believability but considering this is a true story with real life scenarios and real world settings, relatability is lacking not believability.
That being said I think Neill Blomkamp, the man who brought us District 9, is back and we can expect some great things coming down the pipe from him despite this being largely stolen from Michael Mann. Yes, if you pay attention you'll notice all sorts of effects and themes stolen from the Mann himself. It's to the point that the first time I watched I believed it was a Michael Mann movie because I had heard he was releasing a car movie and I hadn't done my research. On that note Michael Mann does have a FERRARI movie coming out soon starring Adam Driver. REGARDLESS OF NEILL'S SOURCES OF INSPIRATION THIS WASN'T A TERRIBLE MOVIE. THE CINEMATOGRAPHY, AND LACK OF CGI WERE GREAT WHILE ALSO USING DIGITAL EFFECTS SPARINGLY TO ENHANCE THE MOVIE AND VISUALLY REPRESENT WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE MINDS OF THE CHARACTERS.
They shot all the car and helicopter scenes in camera and went so far as to include the real Jann Mardenborough, whom the movie is based on, as a stunt driver in many of the scenes. GRAN TURISMO elicits real emotions while also truly making you realize the speed and the fine line between life and death in competition racing at the highest caliber. IT ALSO DOES A GREAT JOB OF ILLUSTRATING THE FACT THAT ANY SUPER-ATHLETE ON YOUR TV IS JUST A HUMAN BEING AND IF YOU DEDICATE YEARS OF YOUR LIFE TO ONE THING THEN YOU, MAYBE, SORT-OF, NOT REALLY, COULD BE ONE TOO.