Summary
- Gran Turismo, the video game adaptation, is receiving mixed reviews and is not doing as well as expected, with a score of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Critics highlight that the film is more of a simulation of cinema, with comparisons made to popular films like Top Gun and Rocky, filled with licensed logos.
- Despite the lack of character development and in-depth plotting, Gran Turismo manages to deliver thrilling racing action that appeals to fans of the video game.
Video game adaptations are finally going through their golden age. After years of failures, most of the films or tv shows based on popular video game franchises are receiving great reviews, but some are not part of that group, like Gran Turismo.
Sony Pictures latest adventure was recently delayed because of the actors' strike, and is coming to theaters on August 25, but reviews are already out, and things are not looking as good as expected for Neill Blomkamp's movie. The story centers on a young and talented video game player who gets the chance to take his abilities to the real world by becoming a real racer.
Gran Turismo stars Archie Madekwe, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Djimon Hounsou, Geri Halliwell, Daniel Puig, Josha Stradowski, Thomas Kretschmann, Maeve Courtier-Lilley, Richard Cambridge, Emelia Hartford, Pepe Barroso, Sang Heon Lee, Max Mundt, Mariano González, Harki Bhambra, Lindsay Pattison, Théo Christine, and Nikhil Parmar.
Now that the first reviews are out, the film has already debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 60%, and now has a 58% score, which means is not doing so well, and the critics confirm it.
Gran Turismo Reviews Say It's Not Awful, but It Isn't Great Either
"In a year when confident, authentic video game adaptations have risen to the top of the heap both in theatrical release and on television, and Greta Gerwig has turned cinema-as-sponcon into a multifaceted art form, Sony’s movie brings us crashing back down to Earth."
"Otherwise, it’s just the usual Top Gun-Rocky-Mighty Ducks formula, plus as many licensed logos in the frame as can be fitted. Gran Turismo, the characters frequently like to remind us, is not a game — it’s a racing simulator. You could just as easily level that this isn’t really a film – it’s mostly just a film simulator."
Owen Gleiberman from Variety commented:
"Gran Turismo puts the audience in the driver’s seat more than just about any race-car movie I can think of, and it puts us everywhere else as well. We experience the races from on high, from right next to the cars, from just above the track, the camera swooping forward."
The Guardian's Ryan Gilbey wrote:
"Rather than embrace the video-game that inspired it, the film is a simulation of cinema featuring a reliably underwhelming cameo from Geri Halliwell Horner."
Todd McCarthy from Deadline said:
"With plenty of potent auto action, some well-defined characters and welcome fresh components, this is an engaging look at people who overcome their own doubts and perceived shortcomings to help pull off something genuinely unusual. It’s a lively, spunky piece of work with no pretenses and all the more welcome for that."
The Wrap's Kristen Lopez commented:
"Gran Turismo is a film of contradictions. On the one hand, it’s a video game movie while on the other it’s a true story about how a video game turned one of its players into a legitimate racecar driver. It’s a film aimed at fans of said video game, but not quite a feature built for the whole family. While it’s good in the moment, it’s doubtful you’ll must up much recognition of it within the next few months."
Justin Lowe from The Hollywood Reporter shared:
"All of these elements help the film overcome a conspicuous deficit of convincing character development and in-depth plotting. In this case, it’s the thrills that sell, and Gran Turismo has plenty of those."