Hobbs & Shaw (C or 2/4 stars)
'Hobbs & Shaw' (directed by David Leitch) is a spin-off of the successful 8-film spanning Fast & the Furious franchise. Is it any good? I'd say: Mixed bag -- more on that later. Ever since they 1st met, DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) & former British special forces assassin-turned-mercenary Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) have loathed each other. Yet they are forced to work together when tasked to find former British agent, Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), who wants to unleash a deadly human-made virus. Brixton - who is essentially a cyborg super-villain with computerized/robotic enhancements running through his veins - sees his 'kind' as the future of humanity and, thusly, looks to kill off weak humans.
Unfortunately for him, Shaw's estranged sister, MI6 agent Hattie (Vanessa Kirby, of last yr.'s Mission: Impossible - Fallout, The Crown), has found & injected the virus into her bloodstream so as to keep it from his grasp. But she has only 72 hours to figure out how to remove & contain it before it kills her. Out of spite, and with all of his villainous connections ... Brixton has made it appear that it was Hattie who killed the rest of her MI6 team, consequently putting her on the lam. To this, it's up to Hobbs & Shaw to put their immense differences aside, locate Hattie pronto, and battle the seemingly indestructible Brixton before it's too late. And to accomplish THAT, our protagonists just might need the assistance of Hobbs' long-estranged brother, Jonah (Cliff Curtis), back home in Samoa. Mayhem ensues.
For better or worse, 'Hobbs & Shaw' offers the kind of brainless, soulless, but high-spirited summer action extravaganza that relies on star charisma & absurdist stunts to make an audience glaze over in an air-conditioned, popcorn-filled haze. In NO way, is the "film" any good. But off the heels of the tired Fast & the Furious franchise, 'Hobbs & Shaw' takes a break from self-seriousness & family dynamics to provide some preposterous fun. Dwayne Johnson & Jason Statham are perfectly matched, with both taking an engaging tongue-in-cheek approach to their on screen camaraderie & heroics.
That said, these macho doofuses must bicker & banter throughout and, not only is it incessant, but the dialogue simply isn't good enough for us to truly laugh out loud. Idris Elba is okay as our baddie. And Vanessa Kirby is fine as our strong, skilled, snarky & crafty female bad*ass heroine. Earlier I spoke of the wearying family dynamics of the Fast & the Furious franchise -- it just got all too much. It was all talk and no action. Here, the theme of family manages to permeate a bit organically through character INTERACTION rather than just saying empty words {I hear echoes of Vin Diesel & Michelle Rodriguez droning on & on}.
Now to the action. Well. Some of it is thrilling. Some of it is humorous in a good way. Some of it is ridonkulous ... pushing the already far-fetched material to its breaking point. Think you know how gravity works? Think you know the human threshold for pain? According to this film ... you don't. Simply, the characters break every law of physics when it comes to the outrageous predicaments they're tossed into; I'm reminded of the insane automobile vs. helicopter sequence in the Samoa section of the film; my mouth was agape, even as I was shaking my head at the absurdity of it.
I just wish that these action movies didn't have to resort to things like cyborg/robot super-villains & overly elaborate action. What happened to classic action of old? Not good enough anymore, I suppose. I'm also not wild about the kill-or-be-killed fighting. Not only is the fighting BRUTAL beyond measure, but people who should have died 10x over continue to live. And so, testosterone-fueled one-upsmanship, outlandish action, non-stop bickering, bulging muscles, sweet rides, huge gun ... rinse & repeat. 'Hobbs & Shaw' could & should've been tighter, more imaginative, funnier, etc. But Johnson, Statham & Kirby lend a sense of ease. There is some fun to be had. And this is a classic summer blockbuster for the masses in every sense of the term.
Unfortunately for him, Shaw's estranged sister, MI6 agent Hattie (Vanessa Kirby, of last yr.'s Mission: Impossible - Fallout, The Crown), has found & injected the virus into her bloodstream so as to keep it from his grasp. But she has only 72 hours to figure out how to remove & contain it before it kills her. Out of spite, and with all of his villainous connections ... Brixton has made it appear that it was Hattie who killed the rest of her MI6 team, consequently putting her on the lam. To this, it's up to Hobbs & Shaw to put their immense differences aside, locate Hattie pronto, and battle the seemingly indestructible Brixton before it's too late. And to accomplish THAT, our protagonists just might need the assistance of Hobbs' long-estranged brother, Jonah (Cliff Curtis), back home in Samoa. Mayhem ensues.
For better or worse, 'Hobbs & Shaw' offers the kind of brainless, soulless, but high-spirited summer action extravaganza that relies on star charisma & absurdist stunts to make an audience glaze over in an air-conditioned, popcorn-filled haze. In NO way, is the "film" any good. But off the heels of the tired Fast & the Furious franchise, 'Hobbs & Shaw' takes a break from self-seriousness & family dynamics to provide some preposterous fun. Dwayne Johnson & Jason Statham are perfectly matched, with both taking an engaging tongue-in-cheek approach to their on screen camaraderie & heroics.
That said, these macho doofuses must bicker & banter throughout and, not only is it incessant, but the dialogue simply isn't good enough for us to truly laugh out loud. Idris Elba is okay as our baddie. And Vanessa Kirby is fine as our strong, skilled, snarky & crafty female bad*ass heroine. Earlier I spoke of the wearying family dynamics of the Fast & the Furious franchise -- it just got all too much. It was all talk and no action. Here, the theme of family manages to permeate a bit organically through character INTERACTION rather than just saying empty words {I hear echoes of Vin Diesel & Michelle Rodriguez droning on & on}.
Now to the action. Well. Some of it is thrilling. Some of it is humorous in a good way. Some of it is ridonkulous ... pushing the already far-fetched material to its breaking point. Think you know how gravity works? Think you know the human threshold for pain? According to this film ... you don't. Simply, the characters break every law of physics when it comes to the outrageous predicaments they're tossed into; I'm reminded of the insane automobile vs. helicopter sequence in the Samoa section of the film; my mouth was agape, even as I was shaking my head at the absurdity of it.
I just wish that these action movies didn't have to resort to things like cyborg/robot super-villains & overly elaborate action. What happened to classic action of old? Not good enough anymore, I suppose. I'm also not wild about the kill-or-be-killed fighting. Not only is the fighting BRUTAL beyond measure, but people who should have died 10x over continue to live. And so, testosterone-fueled one-upsmanship, outlandish action, non-stop bickering, bulging muscles, sweet rides, huge gun ... rinse & repeat. 'Hobbs & Shaw' could & should've been tighter, more imaginative, funnier, etc. But Johnson, Statham & Kirby lend a sense of ease. There is some fun to be had. And this is a classic summer blockbuster for the masses in every sense of the term.