While writer-director Neill Blomkamp’s expertise with genre material — from his international breakthrough, sci-fi revelation District 9 (2009), to dystopian dramas Elysium (2013) and Chappie (2015) — makes him a good fit for an action-oriented sports biopic, it’s perhaps his background as a visual effects artist that proves his greatest asset in bringing Gran Turismo to the screen.

Marshaling a well-integrated combination of innovative digital camera techniques, compelling production design choices and an impressive visual style, Blomkamp’s visceral directing emphatically reinforces the film’s dynamic pacing.

Since it’s “based on a true story” (as the title insistently emphasizes), there’s limited potential for dramatic license with the available material. And while subject Jann Mardenborough has an inspiring backstory, the filmmakers don’t manage to wring much tension from a series of fairly predictable plot developments. But video game enthusiasts, including a sizable audience of Gran Turismo devotees and motorsports fans motivated...