Gran Turismo is a racing game or a racing simulator on the PlayStation Consoles. The first game in the series came out in 1997 for the PlayStation. Gran Turismo is different from other racing games since the main focus of the game other than just racing, is the physics and realism of the car’s handling and customization. Kazunori Yamauchi, a car enthusiast, pitched the project to Sony, a racing game. This racing game would use real physics so that the players can experience what it’s like driving professionally. This idea was declined at first but later approved by Sony. This racing series called Gran Turismo is one of PlayStation’s most successful franchises and has sold millions of copies worldwide. The games are so realistic, that it’s not even a game, it’s a racing simulator.
Sony’s Gran Turismo movie recently came out and it was appealing since it’s based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough. Jann Mardenborough was a kid who loved motorsports and dreamed of becoming a race car driver. His dream seemed impossible since the costs of professional racing were expensive, and his parents couldn’t afford it. Jann played a lot of Gran Turismo while growing up, and while playing Gran Turismo 5 in 2011, he saw a message on the game. A time trial for the GT Academy, a competition where it asked the question, could a gamer become a racer? The winner of the competition was promised a contract with Nissan to race professionally. Jann knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, his dream of being a professional racer could be a reality. He participated in the GT Academy competitions and would later win the competition. Jann would get a spot on the Nissan team after competing in the GT Academy. Jann was also the youngest Champion in the third incarnation of the GT Academy, he was 19 when this happened. The movie was based on Jann’s true story, but there are some things that are moved around or changed.
One thing that has moved around, is the Nürburgring accident in Germany. When Jann was racing at the Nürburgring, his car caught air over the infamous jump crest area of the track, the car crashed into a wall, then cartwheeled over the wall and went over the catch fence which killed a spectator. The crash is an accurate recreation in the movie, but it took place at a different time.
Also in the movie, they use the PS5 and the newest game in the series Gran Turismo 7, instead of GT 5 on the PS3. Some characters and events in the film are made up, but this doesn’t make the movie bad. I think the movie was fun to watch and is unique in its own way. This movie is a modern interpretation of Jann’s story, so things are guaranteed to change for entertainment purposes. This film gave me Top Gun vibes because of the camera work around the cars. The cameras are behind cars just like in the game and they are in the cockpit recording the driver’s face while they are driving. They filmed the cars on an actual track called the Hungaroring and used cameras with little to no stabilizers to give the audience a feeling that they were on the track.
Nissan was the center of attention in the movie featuring the Nissan R35 GT-R Nismo GT3. Some other cars include Chevrolet Camaro GT3, Lexus RC F GT3, Porsche 911 GT3, McLaren 720S GT3, BMW M4 GT3, Lamborghini Huracan GT3, Audi RS GT3, Ferrari 458 GT3, Ford GT, and many more.
This movie was great and I recommend you watch it, but remember this, This movie is based on Jann Mardenborough’s true story with a modern-day twist to it.
