Review of Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) by Thequietgamer — 27 Dec 2019

Despite a lack of Vin Diesel and noticeably fewer car chases, this is unmistakably still a post-Fast Five era Fast & Furious movie. By that I mean it's a mixture of ludicrous storytelling and high-octane action with a cast of endearing characters from both sides of the law coming together to save the day. It's ridiculous, over-the-top, and so much fun.

Dwayne Johnson might have even better chemistry with Statham than he does with Hart. The reluctant partnership between the two is the centerpiece of the movie. Their verbal back-and-forth is hilarious and I give kudos to the Fast & Furious team for realizing that bringing these two characters together like this would create such a successful dynamic.

The plot shows just how dangerously close this franchise is getting to jumping the shark. It's weird to think that a relatively grounded film about a cop going undercover to infiltrate a group of street racing hijackers has now spun-off into a tale involving super viruses and cybernetically enhanced robot people, but here we are. If things get anymore absurd from here Dominic and crew will start coming dangerously close to Sharknado territory. Hobbs & Shaw (somehow) never crosses that line though. So you should be able to remain invested for almost all of its running-time.

I say "almost" because there are a few places where the pacing drops of a bit and I caught myself realising how long the movie was going on for. Luckily, another spectacular fight sequence was always right around the next corner to quickly regain my attention.

Director David Leitch has already proven himself to be one of the best names in action today with his work on John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and Deadpool 2. Hobbs & Shaw only bolsters that reputation as weapons are improvised, buildings are exploded, and a handful of vehicles appropriately get to burn rubber. It's preference for fisticuffs over firearms is certainly appreciated, and the attention to detail in giving each star their own fighting style is commendable. Statham uses some of fastest and best looking martial arts this side of The Raid to dispatch groups of enemies at once, Johnson of course acts as the sledgehammer to his scalpel, and newcomer Vanessa Kirby has a tendency to wrap up foes with her limbs in ways that would make for a grappling/jui jitsu fan's wet dream MMA match.

Kirby proves to be a great addition to the mix when she isn't being forced into the damsel in distress role. Nobody can make embarrassing dialog work like The Rock though, so the few times where she's forced to trade lines that are just as bad (like in their interrogation sequence) it's a little tough to watch. None of this is the fault of the actress, but rather the writing. So there are a few wrinkles that need to be ironed out with her character for future installments.

Despite ditching most of the cast and firmly instating itself as a standalone side-entry in the canon, Hobbs & Shaw continues to deliver the same kind of big thrills that have kept audiences coming back to this franchise after its soft reboot back in 2009. You can even catch glimpses the long-running theme of makeshift family here and there. It's definitely the hardest to take seriously from a narrative standpoint (which is saying something), but considering all these new sci-fi elements have lead to battles this thrilling I can't complain too much.