Ridiculously Entertaining | FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW – Review

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"Ridiculously Entertaining | FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW – Review"
Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham star in FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW | © Universal Pictures 2019

With eight movies in the can, the FAST franchise has brought in more than $5 billion worldwide! Dating back to 2001, the FAST franchise surprisingly took Hollywood by storm. Having seesaw’d a bit, the revived series grew stronger with movies that presented next-level insanity, outrageous action sequences, vehicular mayhem, tough-guy jargon, creative cat-and-mouse chases, ridiculously silly (yet engaging) plots, strong female presence, soundtracks with singles that get just as much airplay as movie screenings at a theater, and most of all… a diverse cast that continuously grows and resonates with people of every culture and language. Knowing their audience and what it wants, the FAST franchise has earned its respect. Will it ever generate Oscar buzz? Of course not! Has it overstayed its welcome? I don’t think so. It has gotten a little long in the tooth, but who cares? As long as these movies continuously present fresh material, locations, and unique characters… its fan-base will turn out in droves.

Setting a platform for two of its biggest names, the FAST franchise now features its first stand-alone movie as Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their roles in FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW.

Ever since “Somoan Hulk” Hobbs (Johnson), a by-the-book agent of America’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015’s FURIOUS 7, the two have swapped trash talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton Lorr (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity for good, these two sworn enemies will have to put differences aside, partner up, and bring down the only guy who might be a bigger badass than they are.

Thanks to action master, director David Leitch (JOHN WICK series, ATOMIC BLONDE, DEADPOOL 2), instead of ending with a bang, 2019’s summer blockbuster saga ends with a BIG BOOM! This is a sick flick! Explosively loud, brutally fun, sarcastically hilarious, and ridiculously entertaining would be the best way to describe HOBBS & SHAW — a flick that elevates the FAST franchise to scientific levels of WTF?

Idris Elba stars as villain BRIXTON LORR in FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW | © Universal Pictures 2019

This is a movie that pulls no punches and gives its audience exactly what it promoted itself to be. For starters, if you thought you needed to disengage your brain before watching any FAST flick, this one requires more than just your brain. It requires your body and soul as well. Everything about this piece is way, way, way over-the-top, but its smoke trails of disasters and skid-marks of chases are totally its own. Even though it’s a piece that piggy-backs off the FAST franchise, a lot of its style is unique. The Sci-Fi touch alone places a scope of spectacle in a zone unseen before within the FAST universe.

As soon as the movie opens, you know you’re in for something different. Something wild. Something special. While Hobbs’ and Shaw’s history is briefly recapped, the hook (and build-up) is presented when we learn about tie-ins between Brixton (who winds up being quite a charismatic villain), his plans, and Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) – a duo who also have links to Shaw, leaving Hobbs tangled in a web of confusion. Aside from the inevitable, hilarious roasting between Hobbs and Shaw, the movie also gives us surprise cameos, bizarre action sequences, awesome set-pieces, and the ultimate throw-down between three of Hollywood’s alpha badasses! If there’s anything the movie kept intact from its predecessor titles are its trademark travels, and the underlying elements of family, which serve as a backdrop throughout the run.

Overall, it’s movie mayhem in a bottle! For sure FAST fans will enjoy it. Then again, I can see some whining about originals not being around, the movie not feeling like a FAST movie, blah – blah – blah…  Who cares? Shut up and enjoy the movie for what it is. It’s a joyride with steep drops, comedy, unique sound effects, lots of gunplay, explosions, chopper adventures, and lots of testosterone! At a little over 2 hours, it isn’t even felt as the movie breezes along with its lunacy. Its “ending” and post-credit scene teases there’s more to come. That’s great! I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Therefore, bank on more Hobbs and Shaw in the future. Enjoy the ride, everyone!

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Grade: A / Genre: Sci-Fi, Action-Adventure, Comedy / Rated: PG-13 / Run Time: 2:15

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Cliff Curtis, Helen Mirren

Directed by David Leitch

Official Movie Website: https://www.hobbsandshaw.com/

 

© Universal Pictures 2019