It's tough times at the box office these days but if there's one film this year that doesn't need to worry about ticket sales surely it's Gran Turismo. In addition to being a feature long advert for the game it's named after there is so much product placement packed into the production that it must have been in the black before a single person saw the finished movie. Even after paying Orlando Bloom for the world's most expensive Ross Kemp impression. Bizarrely, due to the racing setting and overall kitsch factor, the excessive marketing doesn't derail the film.
The basis of Gran Turismo is that back in 2008 Sony and Nissan got together to offer players of the Gran Turismo videogame the opportunity to train as real life racing drivers. This is based, albeit with a massive slice of creative licence, on one of the successful contestants.
What follows is the most by the numbers sport story you could imagine. Plucky kid with big dreams tested in all the ways you expect. A stern father who wants what's best for his son but doesn't understand his dreams. Gruff mentor with a past who is won over by the lead characters determination. Snide rivals who underestimate the hero. Generic love interest who has no real part in the plot. It's all here interspersed with Sony Walkmans, copious billboards and of course plenty of talk about how realistic the game is. "I've played it, it's.... Extraordinary" whispers Bloom in awe when selling the racer idea. More or less the entire first 15 minutes or so are variations on this sentence.
Despite it's limitations though Gran Turismo is pretty fun. The cast are solid with Archie Madekwe making protagonist Jann likable enough to root for and David Harbour unsurprisingly nailing the grouchy coach role. There is one strange casting choice with former Spice Girl (and perhaps more pertinently wife of F1 team boss Christian Horner) Geri Halliwell appearing as Jann's mum. She is fine but there's no getting around the fact its distracting having Ginger Spice at the dinner table.
The real star of the show is the racing. These scenes look and sound great, giving a real sense of thrill and danger even if the outcome is always pretty predictable. This may be a far cry from his District 9 glory days but director Neil Blomkamp clearly still knows what he's doing behind the camera.
You're not going to spend much time thinking about Gran Turismo once the chequered flag is waved but if you don't mind a large helping of cheese then there's worse ways to spend your time than checking it out.
6 pre orders out of 10 videogames.
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