Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw
MI6 agent Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby) is on the run after injecting herself with dormant capsules of a deadly virus that can be reprogrammed to kill any target it infects.Her only hope are her brother, mercenary and former MI6 agent Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) and Luke Hobbs, a DSS agent sent in by the CIA to help retrieve both Hattie and the virus. But the mysterious Eteon organization sends out its cybernetically enhanced super-soldier Brixton Lore (Idris Elba) to retrieve the virus and kill Hobbs and the Shaw siblings. Not necessarily in that order.
I will admit to not having seen all of the Fast and Furious movies. That being said, of those that I have watched, Fast Five is perhaps the best. But a point in the favor of this spin-off of the popular franchise is that prior knowledge of the previous films involving Hobbs and Shaw is unnecessary. While it does explain several instances, like why Helen Mirren is in prison, it isn't crucial to the plot. Our main duo are introduced very well in simultaneous sequences where they're entering the hangouts of low-level bad guys and make quick work of their targets to get information. You can get a sense of what they're all about from these segments and it works with the tone of the film.
I came into this expecting a big, dumb, loud action film and that's exactly what I got. That being said, I love big, dumb, loud action films that are, at the very least, entertaining.I can tell the cast and crew behind this film had a good time making this movie and when they have a good time, more often than not the audience has a good time. It knows what kind of movie it is and what it's going for and doesn't pretend to be anything other than popcorn-flavored shut-off-your-brain entertainment.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham play off of each other beautifully. Their chemistry lends to not only some kick-ass action sequences but for great chuckle-worthy gags between the two. Sometimes it does get a little overbearing and even the villains in the movie harp on it to the point where it becomes somewhat obnoxious, but Statham and Johnson have the combined chemistry and charisma to at least make the banter fun.
One of the standout performances is from Vanessa Kirby who looks like dynamite. She carries her own weight not just in the snark and character department with the two leading men, but also a fierce whupper of asses in her own right. Her genuine charisma elevates her well above the usual eye candy one finds in this movie. Also, given she's playing the daughter of dame Helen Mirren (who is delightful in her brief cameo), she has a grace and attitude that I think would make Dame Helen proud.
Idris Elba gives a truly villainous performance as Brixton Lore. When he says he's Black Superman, you damn well believe it, especially with his heavy baritone. It's not an original character by any stretch; Brixton has a past with Deckard Shaw, joins evil organization and wants to show how much better he is with cybernetic enhancements that give him superhuman strength. Tale as old as time, really. But Elba convincingly sells the over-the-top villainy and sheer intensity of a half-man/half-machine assassin.
The action is exactly as the franchise portends: fast and furious and they're all very well done, but it does get a bit monotonous during the second act. Things do pick up at the end with a set piece involving a helicopter chained to several big muscle cars hanging off of a cliff. I wouldn't ever call the action in the movie boring, but you do start to feel the two-hour run time when the lights in the theater come up. And while Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds do have funny cameos to give in this movie, it's pretty much just them doing their usual schtick, which is fine if that's what you like. Fortunately for me, I do, but if they aren't your cup of tea, this won't change your mind on them.
Overall, worth at least a matinee viewing if you just want something that is, as I said before, big, dumb, loud, and fun.
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