Gran Turismo

It’s designed as a crowd-pleaser with crossover appeal beyond gearheads and gamers. Yet for a movie about speed, why does Gran Turismo take so long to get to the finish line?

This feature-length gaming console infomercial doubles as an idealistic wish-fulfillment fantasy in which spotlighting the true-life ingenuity behind the video game is an integral part of the marketing pitch.

Adhering closely to underdog formula, this millennial coming-of-age saga is slick and stylish, fueled by its share of high-octane, superficial thrills. Behind the arrogant aggression and macho posturing, though, it struggles to raise the emotional stakes.

At its core, the film is a biopic of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a brash Welsh teenager who spends in his room playing Gran Turismo rather than practicing to become a soccer star, which raises the ire of his immigrant father (Djimon Hounsou).

His proficiency leads to Jann entering a competition-slash-experiment conceived by an American marketing executive (Orlando Bloom) to find the best gamer in the United Kingdom and give them a real-life chance to drive for a sponsored race team.

After he’s one of the chosen few, Jann comes under the tutelage of a cynical ex-racer (David Harbour) who’s skeptical of the idea, to say the least. “If you get into a wreck out here, you can’t hit reset,” he barks.

Nevertheless, all it takes is an extended montage for Jann to go from the bedroom to behind the wheel of a turbo-charged Nismo at 200 mph. However, when it’s time for competition, the rookie’s inexperience starts to show, testing his mental fortitude and threatening to shatter his lifelong ambitions. Was his father right all along?

As directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9), the film captures the allure of motorsports and the advanced skill of professional drivers while glossing over the accompanying dangers — kind of like the game itself.

Amid all its talk about giving the masses an opportunity to fulfill their dreams, the highly embellished screenplay conveniently downplays the moral complexities of its philanthropic scheme. Character development takes a back seat, too.

Gran Turismo shifts into high gear during its adrenaline-fueled racing sequences, including some obligatory highlight-reel crashes — that’s why people watch, after all — while showcasing some iconic European circuits. But off the track, the narrative engine is idling.

Rated PG-13, 134 minutes.