The first reviews of the Gran Turismo movie are mixed
The first reviews of the Gran Turismo movie are in, and the response is mixed.
At the time of writing, the film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 55%, which means slightly more positive reviews than negative ones. It also has a Metacritic score of 41.
Of the reviews currently listed, nine have been written by critics marked as ‘Top Critics’ on Rotten Tomatoes. Of these, seven are negative and two are positive.
Variety gives the film a positive review, with critic Owen Gleiberman saying: “Gran Turismo puts the audience in the driver’s seat more than just about any race-car movie I can think of.”
Christian Zilko of IndieWire is similarly impressed, giving the movie a B grade and stating that while it’s clear that it’s mainly designed to promote the game, director Neill Blomkamp delivers a film better than it should be.
“Cinephiles used to have the luxury of knowing that the art and craft of filmmaking were somewhat linked – studios would always make shameless cash grabs, but at least you could assume that they’d hire bad directors and hamstring them with bad notes,” he says. “But Gran Turismo is proof that great craftsmanship can occur in artistically barren settings.”
The Guardian’s Ryan Gilbey is far less forgiving of the film’s game promotion, giving it a one-star rating and calling it a “super-bland ode to product placement”.
Notice: To display this embed please allow the use of Functional Cookies in Cookie Preferences.
“Commerce contaminates the whole endeavour,” Gilbey says. “When Jann gives Jack a heartfelt gift, which company logo is clearly visible on it? (Clue: it isn’t Apple.) And as the teenager progresses through the ranks and the race-tracks, we keep hearing how the original PlayStation product is a driving simulator
Read more on videogameschronicle.com
