REVIEW
Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw
Stars: 2.5
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, Eiza González, Eliana Sua, Eddie Marsan, Cliff Curtis, Idris Elba, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart, and Dame Helen Mirren
Written by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce
Directed by David Leitch
Rated: PG for coarse language, substance use, and violence
Runtime: 136 minutes
Now playing at Landmark Cinemas and Cineplex Odeon Theatres
Reviewed as if I was still 16 years old
This movie is so awesome, it rules. Take the best "odd couple" comedy team and turn them into a couple of bald muscleheads whose entire vocabulary consists of sarcasm, smirks, and punching. Now, put those two guys up against a cybernetically enhanced super soldier and give them all some wicked cool cars, make them race around London and smash through a double decker, smash through some factory somewhere, too, and an island. So many explosions. Now, give them all of the weapons, and add all of the one liners to prove that this movie isn’t just about the action, it’s about the abrasive relationship between all of these macho overachievers.
That’s Hobbs and Shaw, where Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays Luke Hobbs and Jason "The Stath" Statham is Deckard Shaw, two characters who clearly do not get along but must work together to save the world from Brixton Lore (Idris Elba). Lore works for a terrorist group called Eteon, which is hell-bent on unleashing a designer virus that will kill most of the world’s population. Helping Hobbs and Shaw out is Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby), an MI6 agent who starts the movie off by thwarting Lore’s plans by stealing the capsules containing the virus. Let me tell you, the Eteon team has a lot of resources and soldiers to back Lore up on his quest. Hobbs and Shaw and Shaw have only each other.
Johnson’s character is like the street fighter: a guy who is so big and built that even his neck has six pack abs. Statham’s Shaw on the other hand is so perfect as the gruff “champagne problem,” the sophisticated, well dressed gentleman spy. They make perfect foils for each other. In between is Kirby’s Shaw who comes across as a very capable spy in her own right, despite the fact that she has to be saved by the others on more than one occasion. The cast is rounded out by other great supporting players like Helen Mirren and Eddie Marsan, though Ryan Reynolds is probably my favourite, even in a bit part.
In short, this movie is two hours and 15 minutes of non-stop action and bickering banter that keeps it all light enough to enjoy time and time again.
Reviewed by a 46-year-old man
The action is ridiculous, the performances are painfully wooden, the dialogue is indecipherable, and the plot is straight out of an outdated James Bond spy thriller. I’m pretty certain that a 46-year-old man has no business watching this movie. His brain cells would be far too precious at this point in his life to be wasted on something so outrageous. Oh, to be 16 again and buy into the threat of a programmable apocalypse that can only be stopped by two ultracapable guys who absolutely can’t stand each other. The only redeeming thing about Hobbs and Shaw is that it is ultimately about the value of teamwork and the importance of family, but that could have been achieved in the time it takes to watch the trailer too.
