F1: The Movie review round up — is this a winner for Apple and Brad Pitt?

F1 the movie is out in cinemas this week. The reviews are out too, and it’s mostly good news for the petrolheads and Pitt-stoppers.

At the time of writing, F1 the movie averages a solid 69% at Metacritic and has an 85% Rotten Tomatoes score.

This means it has easily bested the fairly well-regarded Gran Turismo, while not quite reaching the heights of 2019’s Ford v Ferrari.

But what do the critics have to say?

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw gave F1 the Movie a super-solid 4/5 rating: “There’s a fair bit of macho silliness here, but the panache with which director Joseph Kosinski puts it together is very entertaining.”

Rolling Stone’s David Fear was also largely positive in his write-up: “F1 couldn’t feel more contemporary in its focus over a sport that’s the current obsession of millions, yet couldn’t feel more like a flashback to a bygone age where a larger-than-life movie star was the only necessary I.P. This what blockbusters used to look like. “

The Daily Telegraph’s Robbie Collin again says F1 deserves a podium finish, giving it a 4/5 score: "the peerless race photography and deft writing around Pitt’s character – a late moment involving a pack of cards is even rather moving – are enough to smooth over the niggles."

Slant’s Jake Cole was roundly positive in his 3/4-score review, saying “F1 succeeds for many of the same reasons that Top Gun: Maverick does: for elevating familiar material with old-school filmmaking swagger.”

Not every reviewer was nearly as persuaded by F1 the Movie, though.

The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey was not a fan, calling it a “bad Top Gun: Maverick” in her 2/5 review: “We should feel so drawn into these niche, specific worlds that we walk out the other side feeling like we could hop into a car and race at Silverstone the very next day. That’s not what F1 achieves – instead, it takes the easier, more soulless route.”

The BBC's Nicholas Barber also gave F1 the Movie a 2/5 rating: “if you scribbled down what you guessed the structure might be, you'd be absolutely correct – except that your version might have some more high-stakes jeopardy than the actual film.”

What’s the takeaway? F1 the Movie doesn’t quite have the same magic as Senna or Ford v Ferrari, where the drama pulls you into the sport of racing even if you entered the cinema with no interest in it.

But it also doesn’t rely on your love of F1 too much either. Instead, it leans on its lead in a way that’s quite old-school. Some folks will love that, others may find it’s not quite enough to keep them fully engaged.

However, with the spread of reactions leaning far more towards the positive end, it sounds like those remotely interested in F1 the movie can snap up a ticket with a good degree of confidence.