The latest entry into the “Fast and Furious” universe brings two of the franchise’s biggest stars center stage, for their own buddy movie which features more over the top action and easy to reach humor. If you loved the first eight movies, you’ll love “Hobbs and Shaw”.
Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) reprise their roles as globe trotting, crime fighting rule breakers, once again forced to team up to stop an apocalyptic virus from destroying the world. Together with Shaw’s sister, played by Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, Mission Impossible), they’ll take on genetically enhanced bad guy Idris Elba, who’s trying to chase down the virus for an evil shadow organization.
This cast is great and has no problem hitting the softballs given to them by the wild but emotionally limited plot, while looking good and performing out of this world stunts.
Of course this is a Fast and Furious movie and the action sequences are long, loud, and at times eye-rolling, but director, David Letich, also makes it hard to take your eyes off of them. While the franchise has drifted towards super hero territory at times, it hasn’t forgotten it’s home territory of exciting vehicle chases, and Statham’s McLaren supercar zipping through the streets of London makes for a good looking film
There are also some surprising A-list cameos that will no doubt, be crowd pleasers.
The film is unnecessarily too long at 2 hours and 16 minutes, and like the other “Furious” movies, the message of family will be a sappy guilty pleasure for some, and completely miss the mark with others reducing the movie to just a montage of explosions and car crashes.
At the end of the day, this is a “Fast and Furious” movie, and “Hobbs and Shaw” delivers on the elements of action that has made this franchise successful for the last 20 years.
STAY FOR THE CREDITS.
GRADE: B-
Rated: PG-13
Running time: 2hrs 16 minutes.
