Movie Breakdown: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Pre-Screening Stance:
Unlike Vin Diesel, I’m totally fine with Fast & Furious spinoffs. It’s a great franchise with a lot of fun characters, so why not pair (or group) them up for random side adventures? Here’s hoping Hobbs & Shaw is the first of many flicks presented by Fast & Furious.
Post-Screening Ramble:
As an enormous fan of the Fast & Furious franchise, it absolutely pains me to note that Hobbs & Shaw is a completely mediocre affair. That’s right, it’s not terrible, it’s not so bad that it’s good, it’s just there, which is particularly damning because these spinoffs are never going to work if they’re as forgettable and lazily crafted as Hobbs & Shaw.
The story follows … Hobbs (an energized Dwayne Johnson) & Shaw (a chippy Jason Statham) as they attempt to retrieve a fancy virus that could possibly wipe out the world. In the mix is a rogue MI6 agent, Hattie (an alluring Vanessa Kirby), and a self proclaimed bad guy, Brixton (a super bored Idris Elba). And that’s about it, which isn’t too surprising since the movie only exists because everyone wanted more of Johnson and Statham going at it like they did in The Fate Of The Furious. Well, the good news is that the two of them deliver on that request. However, somewhere around the third or fourth time where they exchange insults for what seems like an eternity, the gag gets old. In fact, even though this is the duo’s first outing together, everything about their characters and the setting feels tired, and it’s due to writer Chris Morgan and director David Leitch doubling down on the basic Fast & Furious elements while bringing nearly nothing new to the table. So, when it comes to the car chase or fight scenes, this generally works, but the rest of the film is uninspired and flat. It’s like Morgan and Leitch figured Johnson and Statham would be enough, and unfortunately, it just didn’t turn out that way. Maybe they should have stuck with Vin and the whole family thing, you know?
Hobbs & Shaw is better than the worst Fast & Furious entry but not anywhere near as good as the best that series has to offer. If you’re going to see it, I recommend a matinee. You’ll enjoy its cameos (FYI, none of them are from franchise mainstays), some of the action and a bit of the Johnson/Statham verbal sparring, but don’t be surprised if you find the rest of it to be noticeably low effort.
One Last Thought:
I’m still confused by Hobbs’ family in the film. He has roughly 25-30 brothers (with no sisters in sight) and they all seem to be roughly the same age. This strange circumstance is never really touched on or explained, and I guess it’s just going to bother me until I’m dead.
