"Hobbs & Shaw" is Fast, Furious and a Whole Lot of Fun

By: Keaton Marcus

hobbs.jpg

70/100 “sweet/sour”

A shout-out to the terrific cameos by Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart, who add to the film of the film considerably.

After seven other films in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, Universal now expands the universe again with another spin-off, "Hobbs & Shaw". Even after the flop that was "Tokyo Drift" 13 years ago. The series dates back to 2001, where the likes of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker quite literally birthed the nine-chapter franchise. If you've seen at least one of the nine films, you would know that the franchise zooms on street-racing, action sequences, and lots of big, dumb plots. While the franchise's second spin-off isn't great, it delivers the standard quota for the overlong series, a ludicrous villain, violence, and more violence. The spin-off put's the two most enjoyable characters in the series, hulking lawman Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), and rogue military operative Shaw (Jason Statham), who proves to have terrific comedic chemistry, which both that and the kick-ass action sequences can drive the film. The picture may be a little overlong, clocking in at 135 minutes, but the banter and the non-stop violence keep the audiences going far enough to enjoy the picture without using their intelligence.

Okay, imagine this. Along with the charming chemistry and robust action, MI6 operative Hattie Shaw ( a kick-ass Vanessa Kirby), has injected herself with a virus dubbed "Snowflake" which is currently threatening to terminate half the globe. Don't mention the Thanos vibes. Soon after the incident, the CIA calls in Hobbs and Shaw, the two best trackers in the business to find Hattie. Throw in an evil cyborg named Brixton, played by Idris Elba, who is having a ball playing a character dubbed by himself as "black superman". Brixton is hell-bent on creating a new world, conquering half the planet with the deadly virus. Hobbs and Shaw realize that to get the virus out of her system, they must eject it at a heavily-guarded fortress called Eteon. Imagine watching something as dumb as that, but with rap music, beautiful cars and a charming cast providing entertainment. It's completely irresistible and everything you need in a Summer blockbuster.

In 2001, when the first "Fast & Furious" film debuted starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, it was all about the cheesy street-racing. As the money-making franchise plowed on (the other eight films have grossed over five billion worldwide), the action became more and more like a "James Bond", or "Mission: Impossible" flick, and the racing became less and less of a must-have. Now, 18 years later with "Hobbs & Shaw", the series has gone from street-racing to a massive, stylish, 200M budgeted action flick with evil cyborgs. Audiences still seem to be invested, but it's almost too ridiculous to be a die-hard fan of the nine-part franchise. Despite the laughable timeline, director David Leitch ("John Wick", "Deadpool 2") keeps the action and comedy going with brilliantly choreographed violence, and banter that works. The corridor sequence, the final battle in Samoa, the opening scenes, etc. No one knows how to film the action as he does, and it's wonderfully showcased here.

The chemistry by Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson is just off-the-charts hilarious, if repetitive. The two give loads of creative insults to each other, but the two that stand out is Hobbs' resemblance to a "tattooed baby", and Shaw's "hobbit legs"--yes, the film has its moments. Shaw also gets at "The Rock" for his lack of stealth, and body-shames him constantly. Basically, they fight as teenage girls do, it's ridiculous but its something that audiences can enjoy. Hobbs cooks up more tick-offs about his height, calling him Mini-Me at one point, and his little sidekick. Yes, near the end of the film, the pair begin to wear out their welcome--and it's completely tedious. However, when all seems lost, "The Rock" finds another way to keep us invested with a killer Samoan war dance near the final battle. No more spoilers, but you may just want to film Dwayne Johnson doing an awesome shirtless dance, abs and all.

The final opinion is: The plot may be absurd, and it's not the best of the nine-chapter franchise, but "Hobbs & Shaw" delivers brilliantly directed action sequences, and considerable banter to make it another solid installment to the series...$TREAM IT