Review: Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Plot: Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw do not like each other one bit, but they have to put that all aside for the sake of saving the world. They must do so against the cyber-enhanced baddie, Brixton, who means to unleash a virus on humanity that will ensure he and a vicious corporation can perfect a new race of cyber-people. This isn't a problem four big fists can't handle.

Review: After nearly 20 years the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise has been speeding its way up the box office charts and into our hearts, all by revving up the action to insane levels and increasing the number of action stars sporting the minimum amount of hair. This time around the people behind the series have made their smartest move yet by taking the two most effortlessly entertaining members of the series — Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham — and letting him do what they do best (namely kicking fools and cracking skulls) for almost two and half hours of the slickest and mostly wildly inconceivable action the series has offered yet in HOBBS & SHAW.

This time around when the world is threatened, the American and English intelligence agencies contact both Luke Hobbs (Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Statham) to save the world. Why didn’t they call the whole family, including Vin Diesel and Ludacris? I have no idea, which is weird considering that they've done this sort of thing before. Maybe they went back to boosting electronics. This time, as the title says, it’s Hobbs and Shaw — and trust me when I say they DO NOT like each other. Like, at all. Hobbs doesn’t like Shaw’s accent or his fancy clothes, and Shaw doesn’t like Hobbs hulking personality and big fists. I mean, are those the only reasons they have to not like each other? Seems to be the case, as they remind each other of it constantly with quick, clever put-downs.

What brings them begrudgingly together is the sticky matter of a deadly super virus, one which, as one character getting a big cameo describes, will “melt your insides.” Shaw’s sister Hattie (played by Vanessa Kirby) plays an agent who has been tracking down the virus for some time, only to have to run off with it injected in her body after the big bad, Brixton Lore (played by Idris Elba), comes in and decimates the place with his cybernetically-enhanced skills. The FAST movies have been dipping their toes into more chaotic plotlines since their DVD stealing days, but this is by far the most ludicrous plot of them all, with Elba’s Brixton a full-on comic book villain, fit with superhuman abilities and a world-saving, evolution-centric bad guy plan. Think Marvel's Thanos, but if he looked better in a tux.

Between Hobbs and the two Shaws, no one really has a lot of nice things to say about each other, but together, all three must overcome their animosities and save the day through a series of slick, fast-paced action sequences that push the series beyond what has been offered before. Director David Leitch, continuing his filmography with increasingly bonkers action movies after co-directing the first JOHN WICK and helming DEADPOOL 2, is in fitting form here, providing a wide array of cheer-worthy action – ranging from simple and sleek to incredibly insane. Early on he calls back to a particular hallmark of his with neon-drenched fight scenes – which right out the gate helps set this movie apart from predecessors. But soon the breaks get cut, and Superhuman Elba is barreling down the street and through explosions on a motorcycle that can contort like a master yoga instructor, with Johnson and Statham punching and kicking around massive CGI set pieces that are awesomely improbable. Sometimes the CGI can be a bit distracting, but there’s plenty of straight fisticuffs to give much of the action a grounded, variable feel and ensure the leads don’t get lost in the fray.

Kirby, who got to show off some action chops in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT is a straight action star here, stealing so many scenes and throwing down at the same level as the rest of the boys. She also matches them when the punches aren’t being thrown, able to trade jokes and charm perhaps better than the leading men. As for Elba, he proves he could be either an amazing James Bond or a colorful, ruthless Bond villain here, as he’s clearly having a blast in the role and making the most out of all his time. It’s not every day you get to beat the shit out of Johnson and Statham at the same time, and Elba relishes it and looks good while doing it.

These movies have always toted around the theme of family and togetherness, with more recent movies never letting a character go three lines without saying the word “family.” This movie digs into those themes better than any other. Both Hobbs and Shaw pushed their real families away over the years, and the greater emotional core of the movie is about reconciling that. That means Hobbs with his larger Samoan family (resulting in an epic final climax), and Shaw with Hattie exploring their family bond, and even Hobbs and Hattie getting sweet moments as their romance blooms. While that provides the movie with plenty of sweet, low-key emotional moments that add up to mostly solid character growth, the problem is the movie never offers the chance for the two characters who share the title card to take each other down that same road. They're so busy trading barbs that never is there room for them to really talk about why they don’t like each other, and to find some common ground beyond the need to save the world. My gut feeling is that the reason for this would require digging into the past movies, wherein Shaw was once a notable villain for Hobbs and the gang. Because everyone involved with this movie seemed to want to make it its own distinct thing, ditching the big details of the past comes at a cost of not being able to carve out a more complex dynamic between the two lead characters.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with the two going at each other’s throats with personal put-downs, but there are moments I craved for something more genuine between the two, and they're even moments of humor that could’ve been cut down. Being the funniest movie of the series by far, there is a particular cameo that will have audiences cheering but is a perfect example of why the movie could’ve been cut by what seems like ten minutes. Yeah, the story is bit been-there-done-that and should in no way be mined for smarts, but I would lying if I said I wasn’t eager for the story to get back in gear after some banter was going on for a bit too long.

But I guess no one comes to these movies for the stories, and maybe not even for the perfect blend of character development. What fans of the series will come for they will get in absurd quantities and in ways that will leave them with a big smile on their face. Through it all, some people may wonder if these two will make their way back to the main squad, like Iron Man or Thor reteaming with the Avengers after their solo outings. The fact of the matter is, with these two, I have no clue. Everyone involved spent as much time as possible trying to make this its own thing that you would think the other FAST movies didn’t even happen. And the fact of the matter is Leitch and the team did a great job making this its own highly entertaining, often hilarious beast, that when it comes to the matter of these two rejoining Diesel and the family, all I can say is, why bother?