• Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About
Menu

World of Reel

Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Home
IMG_5427.jpg
Alexander Payne’s ‘Somewhere Out There’ Acquired by Searchlight
IMG_5425.jpg
‘Nouvelle Vague’: Linklater’s Homage to Godard’s New Wave is A Playful Hangout Movie [Cannes]
IMG_5421.jpg
Ang Lee “Struggling” to Make ‘Bruce Lee’ Biopic Due To Budget Concerns
IMG_5419.jpg
The Chronology of Water: Praise & Disappointment Greet Kristen Stewart’s Debut [Cannes]
IMG_5420.jpg
‘Eddington’ Opens With 1.5 on Screen’s Cannes Jury Grid
Featured
Capture.PNG
Aug 19, 2019
3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC
Aug 19, 2019

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Aug 19, 2019

World of Reel

  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
  • More
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
  • About
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About

‘Schumacher’: Essential Portrait of the Legendary F1 Driver [Review]

September 9, 2021 Theo Fisher

Netflix’s Michael Schumacher documentary is a brilliantly crafted, microscopic look at the mercurial competitor and champion, told by those who knew him best. 

Expertly combining archival footage and interviews, the film operates as a fitting tribute to the racing legend, as it takes viewers through the key moments in his racing and personal lives.  

Rather than attempting to paint a narrative or feed any existing one as to who the ‘real’ Schumacher was, the film takes the absolute right approach, allowing his family, friends (and sometimes foes) to provide detail, backstory, and fresh insights into some of Schumacher’s greatest and toughest moments. The directing trio of Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns, Vanessa Nöcker, and Michael Wech simply operate as shepherds here, fully understanding this is not their story tell, and that gives the entire feel of the film huge heart. 

It’s heart no more apparent than when his wife, Corinna discusses how Michael continues to survive his tragic skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013. The first time the family have publicly spoken on the condition of Schumacher since the accident. “He still shows me that fight every day” she mentions at one stage when referring to his competitive spirit.  

This film however is put together in such a way that his present well-being is not a looming presence over proceedings. Its journey through his most crucial moments within F1 is, at its core a lot like 2020’s Basketball phenom“The Last Dance”, a both grand and intimate look at one of sports most fierce competitors. It may lack the new takes and content for the hardcore Schumacher fans out there who know every inch of his glittering career (though they will still enjoy the ride), but for casual fans, the archival dive into his humble beginnings, his move to Ferrari, and his epic Championship final day battles certainly thrill. With his tempestuous but respectful rivalry with Mika Häkkinen the highlight.  

In an era in which we seem to have been blessed with fantastic Formula 1 content, from Netflix’s own “Drive to Survive” series, and Asif Kapadia’s sporting triumph ‘Senna” (the death of whom impacted Schumacher greatly), this is certainly a great companion to the latter, with its blend of raw competition and wheel to wheel action counteracted by its more insightful, stripped-back and honestly, quite moving moments. It does its upmost to mirror Schumacher himself, and succeeds. [B+]

← PTA’s New Film is Officially Titled ‘Licorice Pizza’Claire Denis’ ‘Fire’ Aiming to Premiere at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival →

FOLLOW US!


Trending

Featured
IMG_5403.jpg
Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ POLARIZES; Starts as Satire, Ends in Horror — Not Everyone’s Buying It [Cannes]
IMG_5383.jpg
‘Sirat’ Screens — Surreal, Chaotic and Unsettling [Cannes]
IMG_5352.jpg
‘Mission: Impossible 8’ Review Embargo Breaks — It’s A Mess [Cannes]
IMG_5328.jpg
‘Sound of Falling’ Gets Bogged Down by Heavy Symbolism [Cannes]
IMG_4571.jpg
David Fincher & Brad Pitt Reunite for ‘The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth' + Plot Details

Critics Polls

Featured
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants
B16BAC21-5652-44F6-9E83-A1A5C5DF61D7.jpeg
Critics Poll: Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Tops Our 1960s Critics Poll
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘The Godfather’ Named Best Movie of the 1970s
public.jpeg
Critics Poll: ‘Do the Right Thing' Named Best Movie of the 1980s
Critics Poll: ‘Mulholland Drive' Named Best Film of the 2000s
g4.jpg
Critics' Poll: ‘Goodfellas' Named Best Movie of the 1990s
Critics Poll: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road' Named Best Movie of the 2010s
World of Reel tagline.PNG
 

Content

Contribute

Hire me

 

Support

Advertise

Donate

 

About

Team

Contact

Privacy Policy

Site designed by Jordan Ruimy © 2023