Thursday, August 1, 2019

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw Movie Review

Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham (r) star in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

Never Say Never (Again)

Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), a loyal agent of America's Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Jason Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015's Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they've tried to take each other down. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever - and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown's Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw's sister - these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves. Directed by David Leitch.


Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, and Helen Mirren

What's Good: If you like The Rock and Statham, you'll probably love Hobbs & Shaw. They trade insults, kicks and punches for 2+ hours, in between waves of bad guys, who fall down at the drop of a hat. It's fun to watch (for about 30 minutes) but it gets old fast, and never stops. P.S. Keep an eye out for not one, not two, but three hilarious cameos (which I won't spoil.)

What's Not: Elba bores as the "black Superman," and don't get me started on an over made-up Kirby, who kicks ass with 100% implausibility. The entire movie is far-fetched (and overloud) and only a fool wants to watch a two-hour video game on EASY (see below for Target Audience.)

Budget: $200 million

Runtime: 135 minutes (Too long. Way too long.)

Target Audience: Mindless action fanboys.

Bottom Line: I was bored to death (and even left before it was over) but there's no denying the charismatic appeal of Johnson & Statham. Unfortunately, they're stuck in neutral for most of the movie, "thanks" to an uninspired screenplay (Chris Morgan, Drew Pearce) and a weak supporting cast. With $200 million in tow, I expected a lot more.

Grade: C