Movie Review: Gran Turismo

In this week’s blog post, I decided to change things up a little, and do a movie review. I will be reviewing the movie ‘Gran Turismo’ which believe it or not, is based on a true story. This movie is a prime example of a young kid with a burning desire to follow his dreams, and he shows that dreams really can come true, if you work hard enough to achieve them. 

Movie Summary

This true story follows a team made from some unlikely people – a working-class gamer, a former race-car driver, and an idealistic motorsport executive – who come together and risk it all to take part in the most elite sport in the world. 

True Story Behind the Movie

‘Gran Turismo’ stars Archie Madekwe (as Jann Mardenborough) and is inspired by Jann’s journey as a passionate gamer who was given the opportunity (of a lifetime) when Nissan offered him the chance to become part of their professional driving team.

Now for those of you who don’t know who Jann Mardenborough is (not to worry), I have included a mini biography for you. Jann Mardenborough was born on September 9, 1991 in Darlington, United Kingdom. He is a British professional racer who began his “racing” career at the age of 20, from a virtual console of course. He quickly became skilled in not just the ins and outs of the Gran Turismo video game but also the assembly of his vehicles’ – down to the nuts and bolts keeping everything together. 

He was given the chance by Nissan to attend Nissan and PlayStation’s GT Academy, and was later given the opportunity to participate and compete against real professionals on the same world-class tracks recreated in the game. In 2011, more than 90,000 people participated in the online trials for GT academy, with hopes of fulfilling their professional racing dreams. Mardenborough placed in the top 20, then made his way to the finals, held at Silverstone Circuit (in the United Kingdom), where he emerged the champion. 

Did you Know: Before the academy, Mardenborough was prepping to attend university to study design and engineering? 

In an interview with Variety, Mardenborough states, “The movie focuses on the first four years of my career where I was a Nissan driver….Revisiting that is cool, because I’m not somebody who likes to do that too often. But I’m very blessed to have this opportunity to tell this chapter of my life.” 

Jann comes from a strong professional line – his father played soccer professionally, and although he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, he discovered he was more comfortable playing golf and driving an indoor go-kart. Ultimately, one day Mardenborough does want to compete in the Formula 1 races, also aspiring to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For now though, he is happy enough with just being able to learn something every time he steps out of the car, and surely with an attitude like that, he may just be able to share the grid with his hero, Lewis Hamilton, one day. 

Characters in the Movie

No movie is ever complete without its cast, so let’s meet the main characters:

Overall Movie Rating 

If you grew up playing the Gran Turismo video games, this is definitely the movie for you. The whole movie gives off the same vibes from the video game with a real inspirational story backing it up. Jann Mardenborough’s story is truly incredible as you read earlier, and many people will leave inspired to follow their dreams, no matter how wild they may seem to others. The overall movie rating ‘Gran Turismo’ was given by Rotten Tomatoes was a 5.90 out of 10. The verified audience gave it 4.7 out 5. I have included the trailer below for those of you who are still on the edge about watching this movie (just in case you needed a little more inspiration).

Final Thoughts

Have any of you seen the movie? I would love to hear your thoughts, what did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments or over on our socials! 

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