Grade: A … Gran Turismo will have you cheering in your seat!!! Along with being a movie lover, I am also a video game lover. I have been playing video games ever since Christmas of 1989 armed with my Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES) and the famous pack in game, Mario Bros./Duck Hunt. Video games have always helped transport me into a different world. They have afforded numerous realistic experiences in a safe manner that I otherwise would not have experienced.

There are many video game franchises that come to mind that excel in giving you a fairly accurate simulation, but one franchise in particular has positioned itself in the pole position in gamers’ minds when it comes to a realistic simulation. That franchise is Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo is Sony’s long running racing simulation franchise, exclusively on the PlayStation consoles, that has allowed many players to experience the thrill of racing without danger.

Not only through playing the game do you experience racing behind the wheel, the gamer gains an education as complete as possible in a video game on how to race and how a race car operates. Gran Turismo is a simulator that prides itself on details to a level of perfection and realism. Sinking enough hours into the game, the gamer transforms into a seasoned racer that attacks every turn on a specific track.

Thanks to what was essentially a crazy marketing stunt for Nissan, the Gran Turismo Academy was born in 2008. Getting into the Gran Turismo Academy was no easy feat. There was a world wide online invitation to the Gran Turismo Tournament. To even qualify for an invite to the tournament, one had to be the best of the best Gran Turismo players in the world. Then, if you placed in the top 16 among the best players in the world, you would qualify for the Gran Turismo Academy. Once you got to the Gran Turismo Academy, the top 16 players would then need to be trained as real racers on a real race track faced with all the real dangers that come along with the sport. Unlike the video game, if you crash, there is no reset button. The main goal of the Gran Turismo Academy is to weed out the top 3 or 4 of the class of 16 that would eventually make up the Nissan Racing Team.

The Gran Turismo movie is about the true story of one passionate gamer, Jann Mardenborough, who always dreamed of getting a shot at being a professional race car driver.

While most movies adapted from a video game are historically below average to average, Gran Turismo bucks the trend. This movie is so well made and it is paired with such an inspirational story that there is no choice other than to love this movie.

The entire cast performances are first rate. It consists of Archie Madekwe (Jann Mardenborough), David Harbour (Jack Salter), and Orlando Bloom (Danny Moore). Fun fact, the real Jann Mardenborough actually did all of the stunt driving for the movie.

You are always on the edge of your seat holding your breath with every dangerous curve thrown at Jann in the movie. The cinematography was executed perfectly putting you right in the driver’s seat for many of the cars featured in the film. It was quite the rush! The sound for the movie was expertly done and I was able to see the movie in a rockingly loud Dolby Theatre that had the majority of the theater loudly shouting for joy. It was an experience I will not soon forget.

If possible, race to catch Gran Turismo in theaters, but if you happen to miss it, definitely crank up the speakers in your home theater and enjoy one of the best movies of the summer. You will be cheering in your seat!