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Rating: 4 out of 5
There are so many freakin Fast & Furious movies that it is starting to become ridiculous. I remember when the first Fast & Furious film came out. It was a sleeper hit, and now we are up to ten freakin films. The series doesn’t even have car racing anymore. There have been so many cast members come through the series that you forget who appeared. I rolled my eyes when it was announced that a spin-off series starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham was coming out. The reason? It was another Fast & Furious film that I thought would make no sense. Both characters were entertaining in the movie they appeared in, but I didn’t know what to expect from them together. Even I must admit that I really enjoyed this film.
The first spin-off film in the Fast & Furious franchise, a buddy action-comedy film, was directed by David Leitch from a screenplay by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce. The film begins in the beautiful city of London, England. A team of MI6 agents led by the beautiful but deadly Hattie Shaw (Kirby) ambush a warehouse to retrieve a deadly virus called “The Snowflake.” The mission was going well until Brixton Lore (Elba) arrived. Lore is a super-enhanced ex-MI6 agent, and because his body has gone through extensive cybernetic augmentations, he can read any attack and predict the best course of action. Lore quickly takes out the MI6 agents and is about to retrieve the virus when Hattie injects herself with the virus and escapes. Lore uses an MI6 radio and states that Hattie has betrayed the government.
Elsewhere, Luke Hobbs (Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Statham) begin their lives in their respective homes. They go about their daily lives before going off to their respective missions. Even though they are entirely different, they both go to clubs and beat the hell out of their targets. When word reaches both that the virus is on the loose, they decide that the best course of action is to track down Hattie and help her out before the world goes to shit. The only thing is that both really don’t work well with others, nor do they really like each other. Can both government’s top agents work together to bring down Lore and retrieve the virus?
I’m going to be honest with you. I highly enjoyed this film and would rather watch another sequel than another Fast and Furious film. This movie made more sense to me than the trash that has been coming out of the main franchise. The story is simple to understand, and that is why it works. A terrorist organization sends out its best agent to get a virus. Along the way, one of the MI6 agents takes it upon themselves to make sure the terrorist organization doesn’t get their hands on it. The only problem is that the agent ends up in muscle-headed agents, with one being their brother. They must find a way to get the virus out and defeat the evil dude with superhuman abilities. See, it’s straightforward to understand. I think it was simple because of the two main stars. Going into this film, you knew it was going to be crazy, and it was. It played very well to its strengths.
Before I talk about the stars, I must talk about the action of this film. The action scenes were funny, over-the-top but also spot on but also had a nice mix of comedy with each scene. When Hobbs and Shaw are introduced, you see them going through their routine, but the film makes sure to have them side by side to show how much they are alike but different. Hobbs is all about destruction and power, while Shaw, on the other hand, is more about grace and being smooth. They are so alike yet so different.
The action really picks up after the opening scene. Seeing Hattie try to take down Hobbs is hilarious because she gets the upper hand on him a few times, but his strength is too much for her. The scenes with Lore in them are beyond fun to watch. When Lore is on the screen, you know it will be a high-octane action. The whole chase scene was insane as he rode that motorcycle and went underneath buses while giving chase. He really used his cybernetics abilities to the fullest capabilities. The first fight between Lore and the two heroes was a complete ass-whipping. When Lore ambushed Hobbs and Shaw in Hobbs’s headquarters, watching him go down the building while the others decided what to do was funny.
I must admit that the film’s climax was over the top, but hey, why not! Hobbs goes home for protection, and the whole dance scene is unneeded, but it seems to be a new standard in Johnson’s films. Seeing the family take down Lore’s helicopter was crazy, but hey, whatever works. The final fight between Hobbs and Shaw vs. Lore was entertaining but reminded me of the Matrix Revolutions ending battle. Seeing each character getting punched in the face in slow motion was unnecessary. Then I sat and remembered everything else that went on in the film, nodded my head, and accepted it.
This film works exceptionally well because of the chemistry between Johnson and Statham. These two seem to be like old friends going at each other. Their jokes and pranks towards each other are spot on and seem natural. You can tell that their characters have major tension between each other and try to one-up each other. The scene when they had to go through the hallways was hilarious because Johnson was laughing at Statham all the way through. I hope these two make another film together in this capacity because they were funny and delightful to watch.
I also want to give props to some of the supporting cast. Idris Elba as Brixton Lore was an excellent choice as a villain. Elba brings such intensity to his roles when he plays a villain. I also can’t forget about Vanessa Kirby as Hattie Shaw. She was strong, funny and sometimes told it how it was. I remember why I like British women. I can’t forget about one of my favorite actresses, Helen Mirren. Even if her role is minor, Mirren is always a pleasure to watch. I can’t forget about Kevin Hart, who makes a funny appearance in the film.
Hobbs and Shaw is one of the best films in the entire Fast and Furious universe. The Fast and Furious franchise has gone off the deep end. It was refreshing seeing a film in the series that went with its strengths rather than being a crazy pile of shit. Statham and Johnson were great, and I hope they make another film because it is needed.
BONUS CLIP!!!!!
