Movie Title: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Writer: Chris Morgan, Drew Pearce
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Eiza González, Cliff Curtis, Helen Mirren, Eddie Marsan, Roman Reigns, Josh Mauga, John Tui, Lori Tuisano, Eliana Su'a, Rob Delaney, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart
Review: Brixton Lore (Idris Elba) is a cybernetically enhanced soldier who possesses superhuman strength, a brilliant mind and a lethal pathogen that could wipe out half of the world's population. It's now up to hulking lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and lawless operative Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) to put aside their past differences and work together to prevent the seemingly indestructible Lore from destroying humanity.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw was a pleasant surprise. An action-packed, funny, fast-paced surprise with a compelling villain. I didn't know what to expect from this film being that it's derived from secondary characters in the Fast & Furious universe, but not featuring the main characters that made the franchise famous. What I ultimately found was a movie that was one of the more fun action movie releases that I've enjoyed in a long time.
What's not to like? The titular characters are led by the always charismatic Dwayne Johnson and action-thriller tough guy Jason Statham; two contrasting action hero badasses that are the perfect compliment to one another in this buddy-cop scenario. The leading villain? Throw in another badass in Idris Elba, who plays bad guy Brixton Lore convincingly. I actually felt that Lore was a formidable foe for our two muscly heroes despite the fact that the entire premise for his character is laughably insane. Vanessa Kirby plays the anti-hero sister to Staham's Shaw who provides a comedic element in that she's also the love interest to Johnson's Hobbs. While also being quite the badass herself, the friction caused by Kirby's character is absolutely hilarious. Badassery aside, this film is full of high-flying stunts, silly dialogue, and all the over-the-top explosiveness one would expect from a movie in the Fast & Furious universe. Ryan Reynolds steals every scene he's in, albeit playing a much smaller role than audiences are typically accustomed. This film is a whole lot of nonsense, oftentimes predictable, but it hits every point it sets out for in making an incredibly entertaining thrill ride of a movie.
Stunts? Check. Comedy? Check. A fiery, no-holds-barred donnybrook of epic proportions set on the island of Samoa? Yup. Fast & Furious fan or not, don't judge a book by its cover. Watch one of the best action flicks that 2019 has to offer ASAP!
Fun Fact: Dwayne Johnson said he tried hard to get Jason Momoa to play the role of Hobbs' brother (eventually played by Cliff Curtis), but scheduling issues prevented it from happening. However, Dwayne gave fans hope for a future collaboration, adding, "Next Hobbs movie for sure."