'Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw' Review

Synopsis: Lawman Luke Hobbs and outcast Deckard Shaw form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain threatens the future of humanity.

Runtime: 135 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for prolonged sequences of action and violence, suggestive material, and some strong language)

Who should see it? Fans of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jason Statham, and the Fast & Furious franchise.

Branching off from the central Fast & Furious series, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is the franchise's first spin-off. As each Fast & Furious entry drove further away from the series' starting point of street racing and small-time heists, real-world physics were chucked out the window. To no-one's surprise, Hobbs & Shaw continues that trend of escalated absurdity. If you bother scrutinizing the logic of Hobbs & Shaw, you will be miserable for two hours and fifteen minutes. To best enjoy this ride, you should suspend disbelief and mindlessly munch on popcorn.

Considering I haven't been impressed by recent projects involving "The Rock" and Statham, I approached Hobbs & Shaw with appropriate skepticism. The only Fast & Furious films I've really appreciated are the fifth, sixth, and seventh installments. I felt the franchise finally found its stride with Fast Five but grew concerned the franchise ran out of fuel when I didn't take to The Fate of the Furious. Directed by David Leitch and featuring a screenplay from Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce, Hobbs & Shaw rides the thin line between overbearing and entertaining. Surprisingly, this bombastic summer blockbuster won me over with the charm of its cast, technical merits, and outlandish high octane action.

Leitch's extensive background as a stunt coordinator and experience helming Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and John Wick serves him well here. Leitch embraces the lunacy of the franchise's physics-defying spectacle, pairing it with the visceral intensity and visual flair frequently found in his filmography. I was occasionally disoriented by the use of quick cuts and shaky cam, but the action sequences are easy to interpret and impressively absurd for the most part. Carrying over from Leitch's previous projects, cinematographer Jonathan Sela lends an attractive aesthetic to the affair with stylish lighting and quality camerawork. I expected the entire movie to look like concrete, so I was delighted to see some stunning shots amidst the ludicrous action. Unfortunately, the film failed to really surprise me otherwise.

Regarding plot, Hobbs & Shaw is about as predictable as it gets. The buddy spy action-comedy plays out like most other flicks of its ilk, and the dialogue is equally ridiculous as the action. In Fast & Furious tradition, Hobbs & Shaw even champions the franchise's principle focus on family. Does it get any deeper than hearing that word spoken out loud from time-to-time? Not particularly, but when has it ever? Hobbs & Shaw is exactly as advertised, an over-the-top action movie with heart and plenty of cheesy one-liners. Exactly what you'd expect from a summer blockbuster.

Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their respective roles of Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw to headline the first Fast & Furious off-shoot. The baseline charisma and star power associated with Johnson and Statham are probably enough to garner most viewer's interest, and the duo measures up to that presumption. The two actors possess the macho physicality as well as an engaging rapport since their back-and-forth banter is undoubtedly a highlight. They bicker endlessly, and while not every joke lands, those which do are hysterical. The insults, which felt primarily improvised, effectively critique the other's general Hollywood persona without seeming too self-aware.

However, it's Vanessa Kirby, the breakout star of Mission: Impossible - Fallout, who emerges as a scene-stealer. Kirby's Hattie Shaw rounds out the grouping of Johnson and Statham as an intriguing third-party and capable femme fatale. Her fight scenes were particularly impressive, as they were in Fallout, so Kirby is definitely cut out for action. She's reportedly up for the role of Catwoman in Matt Reeve's The Batman, which I'd LOVE to see pan out. 

Elsewhere, Eiza González is prominently featured in the marketing material but merely relegated to a single scene. She's serviceable in the capacity used but didn't really have much opportunity to leave a lasting impression. Other high-profile actors appear in a series of uncredited surprise cameos that are funny, but somewhat distracting. It's also worth noting that there are three comedic post-credit scenes and you may be fortunate enough to see a teaser for Christopher Nolan's next film Tenet beforehand. Don't expect teases towards a sequel or you may be disappointed.

Last but not least, Idris Elba's cybernetic terrorist Brixton was a formidable foe. Elba's screen presence coupled with the character's resilience compensated for the script's shortcoming characterization while providing a worthwhile villain.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw puts the pedal to the mettle as a prime example of an entertaining, over-the-top action-comedy. It won't be in contention for any awards, and you'll likely forget what happens soon afterward, but it's an ideal movie to close out the summer moviegoing season. Maybe this series still has gas in the tank after all.

Film Assessment: B-