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The team that brought you Top Gun: Maverick brings audiences another action film that feels so visceral you can almost feel the wind against your skin. This is the 1st trailer for F1.
The brief, but atmospheric, trailer details weathered Formula One driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) detailing the specifications needed to succeed in the 1990s Apex Grand Prix. His car doesn’t need to be safe, it just has to go fast.
FI (2025) – source: AppleTV+
Intercut with Hayes’ speech, we see intense POV glimpses of Hayes on the F1 track in an old-school roadster, a young hothead racer (Damson Idris) decked out in the highest-quality uniform, fast-paced expansive shots of racing, and worried suit-clad executives watching one of the most dangerous sports in history happen in thrilling real-time.
Joseph Kosinski has quietly proven himself to be one of the most visceral action directors of the modern era. In an age of CGI effects-laden sequences, he brings an old-school tangibility to his films that truly makes a difference. The1st trailer for F1 was light on plot, heavy on spectacle. But that spectacle was proof that Kosinski can create scale and magnetic gravitas from a simple image unlike anyone else.
Star Brad Pitt remains stoically magnetic, having settled gracefully into weathered veteran roles while maintaining the devil-may-care gleam that attracts so many of us to his performances. Few can convey so much emotion with a single expression, and in a film where 90% of his face is covered by a helmet, that proves to be an invaluable skill.
In many ways, the film feels like a throwback to old-school blockbusters, using small-scale sequences maximized for optimal emotional response rather than huge over-the-top tapestries of CGI. In any case, it’s enough for me to book opening night tickets on the biggest IMAX screen I can find.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, F1 will release theatrically worldwide on June 25, 2025. The movie stars Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon & Javier Bardem in the film’s titular roles.
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