And yet … it’s exhilarating. Director Joseph Kosinski ( Top Gun: Maverick, Oblivion) knows the real stars are the cars, and he wisely puts them front and center. It is cheesy. It is predictable. But it’s also a damn good time. The two-and-a-half-hour runtime zips by, at least while the wheels are on the track.

You might be wondering why Brad Pitt has been talking about Formula 1 almost incessantly for the last year-plus, or why Damson Idris showed up to the Met Gala in a Formula 1 car. You're about to find out! Because the two are starring in a movie about—you guessed it—Formula 1 that hits theaters this week.