While the poster for Hobbs and Shaw declares it is presented by Fast and Furious, it has very little in common with that franchise other than the participation of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, reprising their characters from the Furious films.
In other words … REJOICE! Leaden, dreary Vin Diesel is nowhere to be seen in this movie!
Hobbs and Shaw is a bizarre hybrid of spy thriller, action pic and science fiction. While Fast and Furious movies are certainly outlandish, they remain somewhat grounded in reality (with the notable exception of a car jumping from skyscraper to skyscraper). Hobbs and Shaw, however, completely abandons realism.
It’s too damn long (137 minutes!), but when it works, it works well. It also functions as a comedy in that Johnson and Statham have great timing and work well together.
Hobbs (Johnson) and Shaw (Statham) are protecting Shaw’s sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby of Mission: Impossible—Fallout) after she injects herself with something that will have worldwide consequences if she’s captured. The main antagonist is Brixton (Idris Elba), a former Shaw ally who has been turned into some sort of bionic badass who calls himself “Black Superman.” This is one of those places where the film goes totally batty—in a fun way.
The movie also goes a little crazy when it comes to the sibling relationship between Shaw and Hattie, who we see performing evil schemes like “the Keith Moon” in flashbacks to their youth. Problem: Statham is 20-something years older than Kirby, yet their characters are supposed to be virtually the same age in the flashbacks. The movie defies reality in more ways than one.
You won’t really care, because director David Leitch, who gave us the first John Wick, knows his way around action scenes and edits his films so laughs come constantly. While it’s expected that Johnson and Statham will kick ass in action scenes, it is Kirby who steals the show as the action hero of this film. She is, simply put, a total badass.
Hobbs and Shaw has enough star power with Johnson and Statham, but Leitch offers some nice surprises with uncredited cameos. I won’t give them away, but they blindsided me and enhanced the “let’s just go nuts” essence of the movie. The people with the cameos have extensive time, and they are very funny.
Elba is great as a bad guy, and he has a super-smart motorcycle that would make Bruce Wayne jealous. Helen Mirren reappears for a scene or two as Shaw’s incarcerated mom, and she’s always good to have around.
I will say again: This film is way too long. There’s a scene near the end involving a chase around some nuclear reactors that has all the makings of a climax … and then the film takes off to Hobbs’ native Samoa for an extended ending that lost me. This movie would’ve been just right between 90 and 105 minutes. It wears out its welcome a bit.
Still, it’s a blast for most of the running time, and definitely makes the case for more stories about Hobbs and Shaw. With Johnson and Statham on the scene, it’s time to send Diesel packing. We need Hobbs and Shaw movies from here on out in the Fast and Furious universe … and give Kirby her own franchise. She deserves to be center stage!
Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw is now playing at theaters across the valley.