If the reviews are anything to go by, "Gran Turismo" won't go down in history as one of cinema's greatest racing flicks. However, some of the positive reactions note that it's an admirable effort and wholly enjoyable. This is the view of The Hollywood Reporter's Justin Lowe, who wrote, "Not a world champion, but clearly a contender."
Elsewhere, The Wrap's Kristen Lopez praised the film for not leaning too heavily into its video game DNA. "Gran Turismo" works best because it eschews its video game origins quickly before settling into a standard race car film," she wrote.
On the flip side, some critics believe that "Gran Turismo" lacks depth and emotional gravitas, and is a prime example of Hollywood's worst consumerist sensibilities. As Empire Magazine's John Nugent wrote, "Despite some warm performances, it's very hard to ignore the feeling that this is largely just two hours of product placement."
Meanwhile, The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey recommends that audiences skip this one and play the games instead. "Nothing here feels real or tangible. You could argue that makes for a better recreation of the game –- but then why bother heading to the cinema when you simply could stay home and hop on a controller?"
