Neill Blomkamp strikes gold as early ‘Gran Turismo’ reactions put video game adaptation renaissance into overdrive

Director Neill Blomkamp is poised for a redemption arc with the video game adaptation for Gran Turismo if the early positive reactions to the film are any indication.

Gran Turismo represents a trifecta of underdog motifs since video game movies have struggled in the past — and not to mention the “brand true story” trend being something of a gamble of a film premise on paper. If those two risk factors weren’t enough, Blomkamp has struggled to reach the heights of his debut 2009 film, the Best Picture Oscar-nominated District 9, with each subsequent attempt getting increasingly critically panned as his career stretched on.

However, there may be a light at the end of the race after all since early reactions for Gran Turismo are skewing quite positively, indicating the video game adaptation renaissance we have been enjoying in recent years — with films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Last of Us HBO series — is still in full effect.

ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis called Gran Turismo “a winner,” saying the fan service for seasoned gamers can only be matched by the movie’s fast-paced racing scenes and great performances.

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff called Gran Turismo “a solid adaptation” and praised Blomkamp’s inventive camera work in particular. 

Meanwhile, critic Robert Butler III went so far as to call Gran Turismo an “incredible video game adaptation” in a long line of recent wins for the genre. Not only that, but he also described the movie as a terrific sports movie, in general.

Coy Jandreau, another film reviewer, not only ranked Gran Turismo as one of the superior “brand true story” films of 2023 — right up there with Air and Blackberry — but one of his favorite films of the year, overall.

Jandreau added that the film ranks along the Sonic the Hedgehog duology as one of the superior video game adaptations, as well.

How can a movie be at once a video game adaptation and a “brand true story” movie? In case you weren’t already aware, the film focuses on a real-life professional race car driver who rose to prominence on the asphalt by way of competing in a video game contest. The top players of a Gran Turismo video game were given the rare opportunity to train to become a race car driver in real life, with Archie Madekwe’s Jann Mardenborough eventually carving out a full-blown career in the sport as a result.

I’m personally very excited about Gran Turismo and can’t wait to check it out when it hits theaters on August 11.