A movie based on a racing game is not generally on my radar, but Gran Turismo is much more than meets the eye. Video game movies and series’ get a bad rap. Something about transporting the small screen and controller to the big screen can get very lost in translation. Luckily, Gran Turismo, though it very clearly is a great big advertisement for an insanely popular game—and by rights, Sony and PlayStation—is based on a true story, which makes all the difference.
A Real-Life Contest
Gran Turismo is a story about GT Academy, a competition run by Nissan and Sony, pitting Gran Turismo sim racers against each other to compete to become a real-life racer. The plot sounds grand and most definitely made up. Shockingly enough, GT Academy is incredibly real and ran from 2008-2016, seeing 22 winners across the globe, many of which have gone on to be successful racers.
Of course, the film had to take some chances and make some changes. We follow Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a hardcore Gran Turismo player whose family does not take his love for sim racing seriously. As a top racer, he is chosen to compete in GT Academy with Jack Salter (David Harbour) as the competitor’s trainer and eventual mentor. Some characters, like Harbour’s Jack and Orlando Bloom’s Danny Moore, have been altered but are based on real people.
Part of the story has also been drastically changed, which happens in adaptations. For instance, Jann Mardenborough was actually not the first GT Academy winner. That crown goes to Lucas Ordóñez, with Mardenborough actually being the third winner. Fun fact: Ordóñez and Mardenborough competed together in Le Mans, a major event in racing, and the Gran Turismo film. Still, Ordóñez is not mentioned in the film at all.
With the story out of the way, I want to discuss how Gran Turismo makes you feel. This is a film of epic proportions. If you’ve ever watched NASCAR or anything of the sort, I want you to think of the most stressful, adrenaline-filled moments, top those off with stakes that include life and death, and then top THAT off with David Harbour—enough said. The film is over 2 hours long, and I never felt it dragged. Every moment had me on the edge of my seat, whether because of the action, emotion, or laughter.
But Where’s the Game?
Something I did not expect was to see a video game weaved into the film so seamlessly. Of course, the game is Gran Turismo, and we see it played, talked about, and constantly promoted (not a terrible advertisement, that’s for sure). It’s also woven into Jann’s life. When you see him get in the zone, visual effects will appear around him, whether he is tweaking his build or taking the lead in a racer. There are also key moments during a race where graphics will pop up, very similar to the game, to let you know who’s in what place. This could have absolutely been overdone, but I think they hit the nail on the head with a good balance.
As the film went on and Madenborough transitioned from sim racer to real-life racer, these effects slowed down, bringing him—and us—into the moment. We only see them appear again when he references a vital move that comes from his thousands of in-game hours, bringing it to the track, proving sim racers are racers. These visuals had an opportunity to be campy and ruin the action, but they were done sparingly and with purpose.
The Actors Hit the Mark, Mostly
Archie Madekwe was relatively unknown to me before Gran Turismo, but he has several credits, the biggest of which is in Apple TV’s SEE with Jason Momoa. For the film’s first portion, I thought he wasn’t bringing enough to the table, but later realized that he did exactly what he needed to. Mardenborough was living an uninspired life where no one believed in his dreams or took him seriously.
His flippant comments towards his disapproving father (Djimon Hounsou) were meant to be disconnected. His distance from his mother was because he felt like a disappointment. Watching Madekwe go from empty to empowered to broken to unstoppable is a journey. He brought me to tears countless times, and I hope the real Mardenborough feels that he has done him justice. In the third act, the character comes to life like a fire is lit beneath him—sometimes literally. Madekwe didn’t strike me as a leading man, but I was sold by the end of Gran Turismo.
Though Mardenborough is the main character, David Harbour’s Jack Salter steals the show, as Harbour usually does. Between his toughened exterior, hard-ass mentor role, hilarious adlibs, and meaningful pep talks, Harbour makes Salter a character you really stand behind, even when all the other characters don’t. The bond between Salter and Mardenborough is believable, as is the tension, and I couldn’t picture a better actor for this role.
Orlando Bloom, on the other hand, I could have done without. There are villains in Gran Turismo, yet somehow, Bloom’s Danny Moore is the person I honestly can’t stand. Part of this is definitely the script’s fault, with his powerful speeches feeling underwhelming and barely thought out. That being said, Bloom isn’t innocent here. Though the character absolutely plays to the “best for business” kind of man, his overacting and lack of ability to pull off any form of sincerity made him a character I wanted to exist off-screen only.
The supporting cast mostly hangs in the background, occasionally bringing a laugh or an air of tension. Darren Barnet—Jak in the upcoming Immortals of Aveum—is brought in to play Jann’s rival in the academy, but it feels very glossed over and, by the end of the film, erased entirely. It wasn’t a needed storyline if they weren’t going to focus more on it.
Djimon Hounsou play’s Jann’s father, and each time I saw the film, I couldn’t get over how expressive this man’s eyes were. Through fear, anger, sadness, and pride, I could see it on his face before he ever said a word. An interesting casting was Geri Horner—yes, Ginger Spice—as Jann’s mother. Her appearance surprised me but didn’t disappoint or blow me away. She was just…there. The focus was really on Jann and his father.
A Story Built for the Screen
It can’t go without saying that there are definitely some plot holes in Gran Turismo. Director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) opted for more action than set-up. Danny’s speech to convince Nissan to host the competition feels like it could have been a—perhaps more convincing—email, and when the team accepts, there is some very painfully obvious foreshadowing. The film also needs to piece years of GT Academy competitions together, glazing over other competitors, making it seem like Mardenborough is the first and only winner, which isn’t the case.
Something I believe Gran Turismo did right, though, was including the real Jann Mardenborough along the way rather than just taking his story. He has done several interviews about the film, and including some not-so-nice moments of his life was important to him. He took the role of consultant and co-producer on Gran Turismo, and my absolutely favorite news was that he was able to play the stunt double for Archie Madekwe.
Gran Turismo may not be the massive blockbuster they hoped for due to the current strikes. Without the likes of David Harbour and Orlando Bloom running press for the film, I worry it may not reach the audience it hopes to. Either way, Gran Turismo is an epic story that will satisfy all your action, drama, and even comedy needs. Fans of the game will sympathize with these characters, and anyone who is a fan of a good underdog story will find themselves pleased after watching Gran Turismo.
