Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw Review
PG-13: Prolonged sequences of action and violence, suggestive material and some strong language
Studio: Universal Pictures, Seven Bucks Productions
Run Time: 2 Hrs and 14 Minutes
Director: David Leitch | Screenwriter: Chris Morgan, Drew Pearce
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Helen Mirren
Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), a loyal agent of America's Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Jason Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015's Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they've tried to take each other down. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever--and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown's Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw's sister--these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves.
The Fast and The Furious franchise is one of the few film franchises that fails upwards. While the first film is objectively good, the three follow ups ranged from mediocre to just plain ol’ bad. Then, when Fast Five came out and Vin Diesel had to go up against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in Brazil, adrenaline fueled right into the system, the franchise found its footing in style and tone and has been winning ever since. When you think of the most successful non-superhero franchises, Furious always comes out on top.
As I once said, it’s hard to believe that this franchise started out as a crime/action film where these robbers were stealing Panasonic VHS players and ended up becoming spy agents, fighting against international terrorists. And now, within that franchise, we have a spin-off with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham.
If you’re not caught up… well, let me help you out. Several Furious films ago, Dominic Toretto went up against Deckard Shaw, a United Kingdom Special Forces assassin who was set on avenging his brother, which Toretto and his crew defeated in Fast & Furious 6. Besides killing the franchise beloved Han-- WHO WILL BE AVENGED GODDAMN IT-- one of his introductory scenes was infiltrating Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs’ office, kicking his ass, and putting him in the hospital. Ever since, they got nothing but (as Taylor Swift would call it) bad blood. Now, after the events of The Fate of the Furious, where Deckard and Toretto made peace after Shaw saved his infant son’s life--but still killed Han--we’re here at Hobbs & Shaw. Or, as the film is stylized, FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: Hobbs & Shaw, a movie I accidentally spoke into existence and was genuinely excited about.
If you go back and read my review of The Fate of the Furious, you’ll see that I stated, “The film pins Hobbs and Shaw against each other and it leads to the best comedy the film has to offer. They’re at each other’s throats throughout the entire film like Tom & Jerry. I kind of want a spin-off film between Hobbs and Deckard Shaw.”
Just when you thought the Furious franchise’s protagonists could challenge supervillains, the leads must now go up against a supervillain, an invincible cyber-genetic superhuman named Brixton. When he ambushes Hattie Shaw — an MI6 agent — and her team on a mission to secure a deadly package, she injects herself with it and goes off the grid. Due to Lore’s tie-ins with the media, she’s framed as a rogue agent and Hobbs and her brother Deckard Shaw are recruited to work together to protect Hattie and take Brixton down.
We’re at the ninth entry of the Furious series so… first thing’s first: you better leave your brain at the door. If you’re not a fan of this franchise at all for whatever reason, this is not for you. It carries the same exact spirit and themes as the main entries. If you weren’t on board by Fast Five or even Fast and Furious 6, then I don’t know what to tell ya. From the disposable nonsensical narratives to creating their own laws of physics, you can’t help but criticize a Fast and the Furious movie. But... it’s Fast and Furious. They’ve gotten away with those flaws for so long that they’ve become identifiers for the franchise. They’re essential charms for all of their movies, including H&S, making for some of the most memorable action scenes in film history, no matter how ridiculous they are.
From the get go, the script is completely stupid. The movie begins with Brixton riding in on his bike (wearing a black leather jacket, of course) to ambush Hattie and her team. When Hattie asks Brixton, “Who are you?” his response is, “Bad guy.” The screenplay is riddled with simplistic lines that are on par with middle school dialogue, but what elevates the picture is the ensemble cast’s charismatic energy and the action.
The set up is a situational take-it-or-leave-it scenario, but the plot truly kicks off when Hobbs and Shaw are reluctantly paired and they go at it, verbally insulting each other like school kids on a playground as they’re projecting their masculine dominance onto each other. Dwayne Johnson and Statham have an impeccable amount of charisma and if you’re already aware of the personalities of their characters, you’re immediately going to have a ball here. I love how the script never addresses their past encounters that explain why they hate each other, making this serviceable as a standalone movie for someone who has never seen a Furious film. The movie already assumes you’ve seen at least Furious 5-8 so why look back at the past now?
Stuntman-turned-director David Leitch has been specializing in directing action for quite some time now. With this being his third feature — after Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2 — and his first PG-13 project, he does a great job capturing the rebellious spirit of the Furious movies and properly balances action and comedy. The energy he brings here validates how skillfully talented he is as filmmaker, resourcefully handling big-budgeted movies and bringing his own style to the scene. Although this is a PG-13 fim, the action is brutal, the choreography is intricate, and the camerawork is great. His relationship with DP Jonathan Sela has transcended so well through each feature they’ve partnered on that, from the handling of the framework, you get incredible action scenes that help you point out the stylings of Leitch. For a mainstream action film — let alone a Fast and Furious movie — Leitch does a fantastic job bringing his own flair where the action is clear, you see Hobbs and/or Shaw deliver direct punches in an angular shot to enhance the brutality of a blow without the camera being so janky, and the colorfully contrasted lighting is set so that the action is visible no matter when the scenes take place. The destructive action and sequences of mayhem and chaos are exhilarating thanks to the framework. Think back to the truck chase sequence in Deadpool 2 and how well-executed that was as a set piece. It started off in one location and continuously kept the action going in another while still flowing at a fast pace. Now, imagine that but even more stylish, meticulously edited, and overall badass in a Fast and Furious universe. Oh yeah, it’s that awesome. There is an extensive set piece that flows from one giant location to another, starting from a skyscraper and transitioning to a chase sequence that is so intense and adrenaline-inducing that it feels like a F&F movie in a highly effective way that Lin, Wan, and Gray couldn’t capture.
Structurally, the film plays on the same tonal and stylistic thread as Deadpool 2. It replaces the meta humor with your expected buddy-comedy bickering and insults, yet still retains cutaways, humorous sight gags, and cameos. The post production team does a great job splicing at the precise moment of combat action to display each leads’ skill set along with their personality, which benefits the comedy.
Some of the newcomers in this film are a solid addition to the franchise. Idris Elba is having the time of his life. While Brixton may not be his first antagonistic role, Elba brings a lot of energetic charisma here. He isn’t that intimidating because he’s Idris Elba, but the sheer amount of power in his action scenes, along with a few hilarious lines of dialogue, makes him a fun adversary for the duo. He knows exactly what series he’s in and he’s making the most of it.
Then, you have Vanessa Kirby. That woman can kick your ass and slay while doing so. If I am killed by Vanessa Kirby, DO NOT PROSECUTE HER because SHE caught ME slipping! That is on me!
While Hobbs and Shaw are bickering, Kirby’s Hattie is the centerpiece that brings everything together, and she kicks butt while doing so. She’s included in the violence and does a kickass job handling her own. She even has a hysterical running joke that never gets old. Hell, I would love to see an all-Shaw movie with Deckard, Hattie, their brother Owen, and their mother Magdalene. Just call it “The Shaws” or something.
While Leitch is a skillful director who knows how to direct comedy and action well, there are moments in his comedies where an extensive joke that runs on for too long should simply be cut down for time. Where David Leitch and Dwayne Johnson go, their friends follow as the film delves into extensive cameos from unexpected — but immediately likely — cameos. The longer those cameos go on and those “surprising” faces do their schtick, it just pads out the run time while you’re rolling your eyes.
As I said, the film bears a lot of semblance to Deadpool 2, including some of the flaws. After the 90-minute mark the film wears out its welcome as the bloated destructive action hits its peak and you’re fatigued from both the comedy and the action. I don’t know if it’s the writers he works with or Leitch himself, but I keep finding myself exhausted by his action sequences in the second act before it transitions to the third where they peak. Since the writing isn’t strong enough the heave through it's a two-hour run time, you heavily feel the length.
As much as one can dismiss their brain when entering a Fast and the Furious movie, you just can’t let the sheer amount of stupidity regarding continuity slide. Seriously, the climax is set at night and, for some reason, it just transitions into daytime in the span of nine minutes. I’m not kidding. A character wears a timer on their arm and after you see the twilight turn into daylight, the timer goes from 30 minutes to 21. NINE MINUTES! Hey, I know these movies don't abide by the laws of physics, but at least abide by the basic laws of time.
Also, the effects don’t look complete to me. By the time we get to the film’s finale where you have a truckload of CG cars driving on a Samoan Island, they’re not detailed enough to pass. Considering the distraction of the exhilarating action isn’t bothersome, it’s obvious how poorly rendered the cars are.
Luke Evans erasure. Just gonna put that out there. Not to spoil anything, but this movie centers on the Shaw family and we get no glimpses of Owen. A mention, maybe, but no Owen whatsoever! The Luke Evans ERASURE!
Hobbs & Shaw serves as a fun and entertaining popcorn blockbuster for the summer, fueled by David Leitch’s signature adrenaline, charisma, and humor throughout.
Rating: 3.5/5 | 72%
