Prepare for the ultimate racing simulation. Sony Pictures has dropped the first trailer for their highly-anticipated racing movie, Gran Turismo. This release marks the first theatrical adaption of the famed racing simulator and features a well-known director helming the movie, accompanied by a strong cast. Based on a true story, Gran Turismo is the latest theatrical effort from PlayStation following 2022’s Uncharted.
Warming up the Engine
Gran Turismo is based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough. The real-life race car driver was an avid player of Gran Turismo. In 2011, he took a chance and joined the GT Academy competition. From there, he went on to make history, turning a game into a dream he never realized could come true. Presently, he is a top-tier race car driver, having driven a variety of vehicles in multiple competitions around the world. Chasing that dream involves fast speeds and big danger as there is no reset button for errors. Jann is portrayed by actor Archie Madekwem.
Gran Turismo is accompanied by a solid supporting cast. Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings) is Danny Moore, a motorsport marketing executive that is based on real-life GT executive Danny Cox. Danny would be the man who first penned the idea of a racing academy that would take experienced players of Gran Turismo and turn them into real-life motorsports competitors. David Harbour (Stranger Things, Black Widow) stars as Jann’s trainer, using his loose yet firm demeanor to push Jann to levels he never thought possible. Djimon Hounsou (Guardians of the Galaxy, Blood Diamond) plays Jann’s father.
The Stakes are High
Helming this ambitious project is director Neil Blomkamp. The director was lauded for his work on District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, before focusing work on smaller projects for a time. The trailer clearly shows Neil’s penchant for filmmaking with a style and visual hue that is all his own. It’s an experience that features romance, love, and scorching high-speed racing with all the amazement and disaster that comes with it. Centered on this is a competition that can make or break most participants as driving cars to their limit is a lot harder than it sounds.
The trailer showcases what appears to be a strong and stellar sports film with an obvious focus on motorsports. Jann has played Gran Turismo for years, understanding every inch of tarmac and every possible angle of his vehicle. When Jann gets his chance, he embarks on a journey unlike anything else. In the game, corrections could be made, and controlling a high-end vehicle that can reach an excess of 200mph was all at the comfort of a controller and a couch. In the real world, driving such a car has real consequences. This is no longer a game as one bad turn can lead to disaster but winning means constantly skirting the line of danger. It’s a race to the top in this game that turned real.
The Road Ahead
PlayStation has been on an experimental path. The company is clearly trying to be both a video game company and a movie studio to create a seamless ecosystem of content. The results have been a polarizing mix of good but not great. Last year’s Uncharted starring Mark Whalberg and Tom Holland was generally received as an underwhelming adaptation of the touchstone video game franchise. Despite this, the movie did turn a profit for Sony, Making over 400 million dollars on a $120 million dollar budget.
The Last of Us Part II was a polarizing reception for fans and the remake of the first game in the series was seen as unnecessary. However, the HBO MAX series based on the franchise has received universal acclaim for its respect to the source material. A God of War and Horizon series is currently in the works. While this is promising, there is a growing yearning for Sony to return to embrace its previous identity as a gaming company first and foremost, as PlayStation’s portfolio was brimming with exclusive diversity from Killzone to Sly Cooper.
Stay Alive
Gran Turismo is looking sharp and if it does not do well domestically, it should do well internationally given the fondness for motor sports outside of the United States. There is one fix the movie should make and that is to feature music from composer Daiki Kasho. His music gave Gran Turismo a heart and soul of its own, with tracks like SURV13R, AL1V3, and Looking For You Now. Acclaimed composer Lorne Balfe is set to compose the movie but it would be a significant setback if Daiki Kasho isn’t allowed to provide at least one song to the movie.
Gran Turismo arrives in theaters on August 11th, 2023.
