Even if you’re not a Formula One fan, F1: The Movie is well worth seeing—and absolutely demands to be seen on the big screen. Director Joseph Kosinski, hand-picked by Tom Cruise to direct Top Gun: Maverick (2022), brings all his technical prowess and blockbuster instincts to this star-packed, high-octane sports drama. With degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford and architecture from Columbia, Kosinski found his way into filmmaking through 3D modeling. His sharp visual storytelling, combined with his ability to handle Hollywood’s biggest stars, cements his place as a top-tier action director.

The story may follow a familiar track: a washed-up race car driver, Sonny Hayes (a perfectly cast Brad Pitt), gets one last shot at greatness. When we meet him, he’s living out of a beat-up Ford Econoline van. Enter Ruben Cervantes (a terrific Javier Bardem), the owner of a last-place Formula One team, who offers Hayes a last chance at greatness. It also involves mentoring a struggling rookie driver, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris).

Cervantes needs Hayes to whip the team into shape and help Pearce reach his potential. But first, the lone-wolf racer must learn to be a team player. Like any good “Hero’s Journey,” Hayes initially refuses the call. But eventually, despite his age and the breakneck danger of Formula One racing (with average speeds between 150 and 180 mph), Hayes accepts the challenge. Along the way, he confronts personal demons, rebuilds trust, and learns to lean on others. Classic mythic beats, told with horsepower.

There are fresh, modern touches too. A female pit crew member must find her footing in a male-dominated space—and when Hayes leaps in to defend her, she privately scolds him for undercutting her authority. In another nice gender reversal, the team’s lead car designer, Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), is female. “My job is wind,” she says—and her partnership with Hayes leads to a car redesign and something more romantic.

Themes of old-school grit vs. high-tech training run throughout. At one point, Pearce trades his LED sensors and treadmill for Hayes’ preferred method: an old-fashioned run around the track, joined by the entire pit crew. Editor Patrick J. Smith (also of Top Gun: Maverick) and composer Hans Zimmer are in peak form — Zimmer’s propulsive score and Smith’s sharp editing ensure you always know exactly who’s gaining ground and who’s falling behind.

Brad Pitt was born to play this role. The supporting cast shines as well, particularly Sarah Niles as Pearce’s fierce mother Bernadette. A far cry from her psychiatrist role in Ted Lasso, she’s the only character capable of intimidating Hayes.

Tobias Menzies delivers a memorable villain in Peter Banning, the corporate shark angling to take over the team. Channeling the menace he brought to Outlander, Banning gets the film’s best line, describing Hayes’ wild racing style as bringing “a touch of punk rock to the brand.” It’s clear early on: the people who don’t care about the brand are the ones we’re rooting for.