Gran Turismo (2023 film)

The Gran Turismo series is one of the fastest-selling racing games in the PlayStation series of consoles for two-and-a-half years since the first game launched in December 1997. Due to its unprecedented success and a massive following, the folks behind it prompted to make a movie version out of it and that shocked the whole world.

Gran Turismo (2023 film)

The live-action movie adaptation of Gran Turismo is a shocking feat for the hit racing franchise but this is more than that because this movie adaptation is based on real events.

Based on a true story, the Gran Turismo movie stars Archie Madekwe as Jann Mardenborough, a gamer whose life changed when he gained the biggest break in his life; becoming a racing driver. It also stars David Harbour and Orlando Bloom, among many others, and it's directed by Neill Blomkamp.

Meant to be a historical recreation of Jann Mardenborough's trials and tribulations from gamer to racer, the timeline seems a bit wrong because it features the recent Gran Turismo 7 game as well as the recent Nissan GT-R models rather than the ones from the early 2010s, the Gran Turismo 5 era. Pseudo-historical recreation as such, this movie features stuff never seen in a Gran Turismo franchise (and never will be) such as the Ligier, an Aston Martin Vantage GT3, a Ferrari 488 GT3, a Corvette C8.R, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992), a Volkswagen Corrado, and others.

Despite the reenactment's hits and misses, this movie showcases the influence Gran Turismo has done to the world, turning gamers into professional drivers. From virtual to reality, from sim to grid, every lap, every thriller, and every drama, this true-to-life story proves that anyone can get to the top just like Jann. It really is an inspirational tale worth watching from start to finish.

For fans and newcomers of the Gran Turismo franchise, this movie will serve as a moral lesson because if Jann can make it to the top, everybody can. Be a driver, drive hard, and stay focused.