Get ready for a fast and furious dose of summer action.
Reviews are racing in for Hobbs & Shaw, a standalone spinoff presented by the Fast and
Furious franchise.
It's generally agreed that the film delivers exactly what it promises: plenty of high-octane,
over-the-top set pieces, held together by lots of witty banter and some serious chemistry
between its two leads.
"No way, this guy's a real a------"
With 102 reviews counted, the film currently stands at a 72% average on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hobbs & Shaw finds our titular duo teaming up to eradicate a serious threat: Brixton
Lore, portrayed by Idris Elba, is a superpowered terrorist and self-proclaimed "black Superman"
intent on unleashing a potent virus on the world.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Bad guy."
Back in January, star Dwayne Johnson promised that
"[The film will be] the biggest showdown the FAST & FURIOUS franchise has ever seen"
Well, it certainly has the right pedigree.
It was penned by Chris Morgan, the screenwriter behind The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,
Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, and The Fate of the Furious.
Suffice to say, this man knows exactly what fans want.
Meanwhile, director David Leitch is a co-director of the action-packed original John Wick, and
also delivered a similarly off-kilter blast of craziness with last year's Deadpool 2.
According to critics, Leitch and company have delivered an exciting, entertaining action
film that takes full advantage of the crackling chemistry between Johnson and co-star Jason
Statham.
They also praised the performances by Vanessa Kirby and Elba.
On the other hand, the film's detractors focused on the outlandish action sequences…but what
did they expect?
Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt understands that the bonkers action is exactly the point,
writing that,
"[Hobbs & Shaw is] a testosterone motherlode so relentlessly, ridiculously adrenalized,
it doesn't so much unfold as steadily defibrillate you...Bodies crumple; metal clangs; and anything
that doesn't get punched or shot or stabbed on sight just stands by patiently, waiting
to explode.
When it's not all completely brain-numbing, it's actually pretty fun."
It sounds like Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com was perfectly content letting the film's kinetic
energy wash over him:
"What are audiences really here for?
They want some banter between stars Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson?
Check.
They want them to beat each other up a few times?
Check.
A physics-defying car chase or two would be nice?
Check and check."
Elsewhere in his review, Tallerico claimed,
"The truth is that the Summer of 2019 has been ridiculously thin when it comes to mindless
fun.
And there's something to be said for merely bouncing four movie stars as charismatic as
this film's quartet off each other for just over two hours."
Cleveland Plain Dealer's Chuck Yarborough was clearly a fan of the film, effusively
gushing that,
"[Hobbs & Shaw is] one of the most entertaining action movies you'll see this year...What
makes this film work is the humor that pours from Johnson, and what he’s able to elicit
from his fellow actors.
Particularly good are the insults in what we used to call the 'slip fights' between
him and Statham."
Of course, plenty of critics walked away from the film with a sour face, and there's no
shortage of snarky reviews out there.
Donald Clarke of the Irish Times sniped,
"After just half an hour, I was tempted to spread foam across the screen and scrape off
the stubble that was already breaking through...The awful banter is something else.
Neither man has, to be fair, much to work with."
Jake Wilson of The Age unleashed plenty of scorn on Morgan's screenplay and its plethora
of quips:
"The action regularly grinds to a halt so [Hobbs and Shaw] can trade elaborate putdowns,
which give every sign of having been crafted by writers whose practical experience of brawling
has occurred mostly on Twitter."
Keenly demonstrating how to effectively put someone down, Wilson goes on say,
"For the leading men, everything appears to be business as usual - which hardly needs
saying in the case of Statham, a cook who knows just one dish."
Nevertheless, most critics were more than willing to accept the film on its own terms.
Candice Frederick of The Wrap embraced the absurdity of the blockbuster, writing that,
"[The film is] very cognizant of what it is, which is also in line with what “Fast & Furious”
has always been: an opportunity for alpha men (and women) to exchange insults then eventually
hug it out for the sake of some good old-fashioned whoop-ass."
So that's what the critics had to say…now it's time to make up your own mind.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw opens on August 2nd…and we're expecting to be
electrified.
"Three shocks will kill a man."
"Here we go, it's a bad guy speech!"
"You had to open your big mouth, didn't ya, huh?"
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