Theatrical poster for Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to Universal Pictures.
Later additions Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) whose character first appeared in Fast Five 2011 and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) who was first introduced in Fast and Furious 6 2013 and was once the main villain in Furious 7 2015 reprise their roles in this spinoff of the widely successful “Fast and Furious” franchise from Universal Pictures.
Here’s what we think of the movie.
Chemistry
Lead characters Hobbs and Shaw are back and prove once again how great their chemistry is. We first saw both characters team up in Fate of the Furious 2017, trading punches and exchanging exaggerated insults like a grumpy old married couple. Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw continues to build on that “relationship” and makes these sarcasms funnier than ever. Expect the two to exchange more of those playful mockeries as they team up once again for another save-the-world mission less Toretto and company. Admittedly though, these banters get a little hyperbolic and at times contrived and unnecessary but knowing how these two overcome their differences was wildly amusing.
As if the chemistry between the two wasn’t enough, the great Idris Elba playing the big bad Brixton Lore aka “Black Superman” compliments both main protagonists Hobbs and Shaw really well.
Embed from Getty ImagesDifferent but…a little forced
The Fast and Furious franchise has indeed come a long way from carjacking and illegal racing in the streets of Los Angeles. The Hobbs and Shaw spinoff may have taken the franchise a little further.
It’s different but in a good way, for the most part.
If you became a fan of the franchise because of the fast cars and street racing action, you may not like this one. It’s still going to be an entertaining film, don’t get us wrong. Deadpool 2 Director David Leitch helmed this one and boy he threw quite a lot of Deadpool action in this film including the comedy. Leitch, a previous stuntman himself gave this one some really great stunts and cool scenes even without the fast cars.
Speaking of stunts, the action is incredibly precise in this film. It’s just entirely different action and nothing we’ve seen before in the franchise. Then again, this is where Leitch is at his best. Great job!
One thing that makes this spinoff close to the original F&F franchise is that this is still a story about family. Though you might not feel a lot of sentiment as for us some of the emotion felt a little forced.
By the way, you may want to stay until the end as the film features a post-credits scene that hints on the spinoff’s future.
Unexpected Cameos
We mentioned comedy, right? And this film does not lack comedy, at all. It’s got a lot of funny parts, actually, and for the most part it’s because of these cameos. Seriously, you are not going to believe who made their appearance in the film.
Here’s a hint. These guys worked previously with the director and some of the cast. There were a lot of actors who made a surprise attendance, so watch out for them. You’ll know them once you’ve seen them, don’t worry!
Hats off for Hattie Shaw
Now, let’s talk about the other Shaw. We’ve been introduced to 3 members of the Shaw family before this movie. First, Owen (Luke Evans) and Deckard (Jason Statham) both of whom made their first appearance in Fast and Furious 6 2013 and then their mother Queenie (Helen Mirren) who we then met in Fate of the Furious 2017.
Little did we know, there is another Shaw sibling in Hattie Shaw played by Vanessa Kirby. You may recognize her from another action franchise when she played the role of “White Widow” in 2018’s Mission: Impossible Fallout.
Hattie Shaw, an MI6 field agent, is every bit as bad-ass as her two brothers. No, she’s definitely more bad-ass. She is by no means a damsel in distress. Director David Leitch made that clear when she introduced the character in the coolest way possible. And, oh yeah, actress Vanessa Kirby is just on point!
We understand this might be too soon, but a Hattie Shaw spinoff would be something we’d love to see.
Skip or Watch?
As we mentioned, fans of the original Fast and Furious franchise may not like this one a lot. But no, don’t skip! No way, definitely watch this one! Hobbs and Shaw may have strayed too far from the original Fast and Furious franchise but it certainly did not seem like a bad thing entirely.
Here’s our rating for the movie.
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