by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
What happens when you combine the spy, action, sci-fi, comedy genres with the Fast & Furious franchise? You get Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. The latest high-octane adventure from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham has arrived, and it will surely make an impression.
One of the best things to come from F8: The Fate of the Furious was the character clash between Luke Hobbs (previously introduced in Fast Five) and Deckard Shaw (introduced in Furious 7). Fans like myself had hoped to see more of this dynamic play out in future iterations, and we were pleasantly surprised when it was announced that they would be branching out to headline their own spinoff. The personality clashes continue with this over-the-top story, which also features the introduction of Idris Elba (Luther) as the cybernetically enhanced villain Brixton, Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) as the unstoppable bad-ass Hattie, and a few surprise A-List cameos. With the fate of the world once again hanging in the balance, Hobbs and Shaw must put aside their differences and team up with Hattie to stop Brixton before he can unleash a programmable nano virus.
Overall, Hobbs & Shaw was a considerably entertaining film, though it had issues with deciding what it wanted to be. I laughed more times than I could count. I loved the special guest appearances (no spoilers). Johnson, Statham, and Kirby had a great dynamic. Kirby stole the show with many amazing action sequences, difficult to do when playing opposite such charismatic actors. The writers made sure she was no damsel in distress. The only questionable element was how the movie seemed to have multiple ending points. I genuinely thought we were wrapping up at the end of Act 2, but then the film went in a completely different direction and the transition to the final act felt inorganic.
Ultimately the film wraps up in a satisfying and entertaining manner, leaving the door open for continuing adventures in their own corner of the Fast & Furious universe.
ComicsOnline gives Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw – 4 out of 5 bricks (that will make sense later).
