If you had asked me in high school what action franchise would last nearly two decades, getting better and more outlandish with each installment, reader, I would not have said The Fast and the Furious. The 2001 film left little to no impression on me, and I wrote it off as another mediocre big-budget studio action film. Little did I know that this goofy, testosterone-fueled franchise would go on to become one of the most over-the-top and entertaining action series of the aughts.
Which brings us to Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, the first spin-off movie in the series, which takes fan favorite characters Luke Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) and pairs them together for a mismatched buddy comedy with all the explosions.
Here’s the synopsis:
Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Johnson), a loyal agent of America’s Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down.
But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw’s sister — these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves.
Johnson and Statham have terrific comedic chemistry together, which is hardly a surprise. Both men are full-on charisma factories, with solid comedic chops. Sidebar: if you haven’t seen Jason Statham in Spy with Melissa McCarthy, stop what you’re doing right now and watch it. He’s hysterical. The film is directed by David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2), one of the most kinetic and exciting action directors working right now.
But perhaps most exciting is the addition of Idris Elba as a genetically enhanced soldier, aka “Black Superman.” Given the escalating ridiculousness of the series, I’m surprised it took them nearly ten films to introduce super-powered people into the F&F franchise. Its heroes already have superhuman strength (Johnson is basically the Hulk at this point) so it’s nice to see them full-tilt going for it.
Another fun set piece is the team going off the grid in Samoa. In a tribute to Johnson’s Samoan heritage, we meet his family, including his army of jacked brothers, who perform a haka (a ceremonial battle dance) and wield traditional Samoan weapons in a face-off with Elba. Honestly, I would watch a movie that’s just the adventures of the Hobbs family, and with this franchise, we’ll probably get it.
There’s a lot going on in this trailer. And I can’t get enough of it. Bring me your over-the-top set pieces and gravity-defying fight sequences. My body is ready.
Hobbs & Shaw hits theaters August 2nd, 2019.
(via io9, image: screencap)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—</p
