It is a truth universally acknowledged that every summer movie season must feature a film about a mode of transportation that goes very, very fast. This summer, it’s “F1 The Movie,” presumably subtitled so we know that it’s not “F1 The Signature Cocktail” or something (now that is a good idea; somebody please make me one), which takes place in the heady world of Formula One auto racing. Should this world be new to you — it was to me, though fans will spot plenty of F1 driver cameos — do know that there’s lots of talk about the relative warmth of tires, that a 10-second tire change is here considered catastrophically slow and that yes, those cars move incredibly fast, as if the track is a horizontal waterfall and everyone’s racing to the lagoon below. It’s breathless and occasionally breathtaking, if a bit overlong. But as mindless summer-movie action goes, “F1” gets the job done nicely.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (who proved his transportation chops with “Top Gun: Maverick”), “F1” has a plot centered on a very old story: the old pro who reluctantly comes back for one more job. In this case, the veteran is Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a former F1 phenom who’s now hanging around the edges of the racing world, but is coaxed by an old friend (Javier Bardem) to join a struggling F1 team and perhaps help settle down the team’s hotshot rookie, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). (Note that this is basically the plot of “Bull Durham,” but with cars instead of baseball.) It’s a formula movie (ha!), but Kosinski has some fun with it: When Pitt makes his movie-star entrance at the F1 team’s headquarters, all backlit and sunglassed and practically slo-mo, somebody responds with, “Who is that (expletive)?”

Though it’s fun watching Pitt swanning about in his nonchalant way — and a delight to see Kerry Condon, as a F1 technical director, finding some playful chemistry with him — this movie is entirely about the driving, and the speed. (It’s definitely not about the dialogue; Bardem actually has to say, “Sometimes when you lose, you win,” and to his credit almost sells it.) The camera lingers on the ritual of the drivers being strapped in before the start, on the intricate choreography of the pit crew, on the way cars weave on the track like sleek tapestries, on the addictive thrill of flight. See it on the biggest screen you possibly can (it looked great at the Boeing IMAX), and you’ll fly right along with them. Try not to drop your popcorn; it’s a pretty thrilling ride.

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'F1 THE MOVIE'

3 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG-13 (for strong language, and action)

Running time: 2:35

How to watch: In theaters June 27

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