Hobbs & Shaw is a fully action-packed Fast and Furious spinoff that is worthy of having its own series. The show-stealer is hands down the chemistry of the protagonists which the movie leverages right from the very beginning.
What also keeps the entertainment going is the movie’s humour which seems to have been upped a notch when compared to the prequels. It is that ‘hating each other to the guts’ clause that works well for the movie. It automatically creates humour where the characters don’t pass on any opportunity to diss each other. That’s how half of the things automatically fall in place.
Stunts used in the movie are amazing but then there are some that are so typical that it reminds you that this too is a part of the Fast and Furious universe after all. Like defying physics for example or doing something that is laughably stupid, Hobbs and Shaw movie packs even that in aplenty. The flick is susceptible to being unreal on so many occasions that it jackhammers the unvarying fact – everything happens in the movies.
This job requires stealth. Look at you.
The Theme of Hobbs & Shaw Movie
Remember the time when the Fast & Furious creators used to experiment? Like with the second one where Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson tried to go on their very own adventures or the Tokyo Drift movie that tried to come up with its very own story. Hobbs & Shaw feels something similar. Primarily because it tries to tell its very own tale.
Drifting away from the actual river, probably where they are not going to return anytime soon now, since things were quite vocal after a loud fight between Tyrese and Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, Dwayne’s character Luke Hobbs is set on his own path alongside Deckard Shaw. What is new here is that the movie isn’t at all concerned about cars that much, the way the initial quaint versions were. Yes, there are cars here but they are no longer talking about it in a way that draws interest.
In here, we have a sister, a villain and a virus. Need I say more? The plot is basically like a make-believe story we used to play when we were kids.
In their defense, I would say, action movies are generally like that. Shot at multiple locations, not letting the hero get his hands on the villain throughout the movie (here it is the other way round) to stretch the story – more screen time means more action. Saving the world kind of heroics and badass villainy where heroes are finding it difficult to defeat the devilry but toward the end, it’s bound to work in their favour.
Action and Stunts in Hobbs and Shaw
Stunts remain the heart and soul of every Fast and Furious movie ever. Hobbs and Shaw movie is no different. There are plenty of stunts scooched in the movie shot at different locations.
With David Leitch standing behind the wheels this time to direct, an action flick seems to have found a great match. It seems to have gone in safe hands as far as the action and stunts bits are concerned. The stuntman turned director knows exactly what a cool stunt is. That’s what he delivers.
That being said Hobbs & Shaw movie is laden with cool stunts that will blow your mind away. Sometimes whilst watching it, you might feel the need to go back and replay a particular scene. Unfortunately, for that, you might have to wait for its digital copy.
In the Hobbs & Shaw universe, there are no car races. It seems to have drifted altogether to a new trajectory, a tributary that banks solely on “saving the world” mission.
When it’s the fate of the world, it becomes my business.
It is all brute force and fights that dictate the direction of the movie, goes old school when there are no guns, sweet hand to hand combats, and destructive answers mostly meted out by Luke Hobbs.
Hattie and Brixton
Hattie, portrayed by Vanessa Kirby, is another great thing about the movie. Apart from bringing a feminine force of destruction, she carries a never back down attitude. She is a pleasant addition to the franchise, a force of beauty, grace, and badassery all blended in one.
Brixton (Idris Elba) on the other hand, the Black Superman, as he calls himself (and the movie too, too many a time) is a force that can’t be defeated.
He really is Black Superman.
He is a super soldier, genetically enhanced to read your every move. Brixton is the next-gen evolution that is trying to dominate the world.
I am indeed the future of the planet. I’m the necessary shot to the system. I am human evolutionary change. Bulletproof. Superhuman.
It would have been a piece of cake if he were to kill Hobbs and Shaw. But then how do you stop him from doing so? You know since we have a future with them, don’t we?
So they create another villain out of nothing. Just a voice to keep things under wraps. Now everybody is left wondering who is the person behind that voice.
Any guesses?
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The Not Getting Along Bit (Spoilers)
The high point of Hobbs & Shaw remains how impossible it is for Hobbs and Shaw to get along. The whole set up and theme of the movie is basically bringing these guys together on a mission to save the world, albeit they can’t stand each other. The rest of the things automatically follow. The screenplay gets auto-written.
Shaw: You had to open your big mouth.
Hobbs: Yeah, I thought it was a cool thing to say at the moment.
It is a joy to watch them try to roast each other time and again. As they take a dig at each other, and can’t get along, they end up making things tougher than they already are.
But the crux, the moral and the bottom line of Hobbs and Shaw remains, that you have to work together setting your differences aside, when you have to fight a common enemy. Because it is in unity that you triumph. It is in unity that you rejoice.
In order to defeat a villain that can’t be defeated by just one man, they have to work together. So they finally overcome their differences and end up beating the crap out of Brixton.
Issues
The final helicopter stunt is probably the bit that might make you laugh, more than it was supposed to put you in awe.
The CGI already seemed a bit weird in the trailer, in the movie you are forced to wonder why the car would stop a certain way, after falling onto a truck. Or why wouldn’t the rigid body science, collision or gravity apply to these cars on landing or hitting things.
So there are tons of it. Plenty of instances herein that might force you to think all that. But that’s how every Fast and Furious movie has always been like. You have to shut your brain down and enjoy the stunts without questioning them.
The movie is inclined to do the cool stuff. According to the creators, what’s the cool thing to do when you enter a pub? Drink your shots then throw the glasses away without looking at them? Check! That’s done a lot many times here.
The Final Verdict
Overall Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is a hoot. Cameos by Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds are simply amazing. They deliver some extra dose of humour to the already comical setup.
It is an improvement you can say from the previous version The Fate of the Furious. But in terms of serious filmmaking, it isn’t. However, that’s just an opinion.
Check out the trailer of Fast & Furious presents: Hobbs & Shaw movie
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Pros
- Great Action
- Amazing Stunts
- Cameos by Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart
- Humour
- Badass Villain
Cons
- Defying Physics
- Drifts away from car specifics
- Bothering Visuals at some places
