Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is the first spin-off film in the highly-octane-driven action series. This time, the breakout characters from the last couple of Furious films, DSS agent Hobbs (played by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson) and a villain-turned-anti-hero Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham) are given their own solo adventure.

Umm, do I really have to explain the plot? Fine… A biomechanically-enhanced soldier is in pursuit of Agent Hattie Shaw, played by Vanessa Kirby, who stole ‘Snowflake,’ a virus that liquefies internal organs. Mission Impossible 2, anyone? Eventually, Deckard Shaw (Hattie’s brother) and Hobbs have to put aside their “animosity” for each other to save Hattie and the world. Trust me, the plot doesn’t matter.

It’s hard to review a movie like this as this is a ‘Fast & Furious’ movie. At this point, you already know the kind of movie you’re going to get – lots of (insane) action, the word ‘family’ thrown in every other sentence, with very little consideration for the plot and characters. If you have been on board and have had fun since Fast 5, you’ll enjoy this movie too, as I did.

Positives

This movie completely excels at letting the titular characters go at it with each other. The two are constantly throwing insults at each other and it’s extremely fun to watch. The dialogue feels authentic to these larger-than-life characters and it’s evident that The Rock and Jason Statham are also having fun. The dynamic duo has excellent chemistry/banter and the filmmakers make sure to accentuate that over the other aspects of the film. Their (juvenile and puerile) humor is actually funny and reminded me a lot of the Kevin Hart-The Rock collabs. Speaking of, The Rock is especially great in scenes with his daughter. That helps humanize him and make him vulnerable, something most of his films are unable to do.

Vanessa Kirby, one of the breakout stars in Mission Impossible: Fallout, is absolutely wonderful and is able to hold her own against Statham and the Rock. Yes, she’s used as a plot device but she’s also able to escape numerous times and given kick-ass fight scenes. I can’t wait to see more of her in the future.

The action is one of the film’s highlights, which is to be expected from the director of Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2, and a co-director of John Wick. There are many memorable action sequences, especially the London-headquarter scene. Does it make much sense? Hell no. There is not a shred of verisimilitude in this film. Albeit highly trained, these are regular human beings who fall from skyscrapers and hold helicopters without getting hurt. They’re superheroes!! But the thing is, the filmmakers fully embrace the silliness of the premise and the franchise and are content with delivering quality entertainment. On a side-note, there are some surprising cameos in the film and they are absolutely hilarious!

Lastly, the family undertones are more endearing in Hobbs & Shaw than they have been in most of the films in the franchise. Rather than saying the word ‘family,’ show us that. In this one, the scenes between the Shaw siblings and the Rock with his daughter and estranged family add some heart to the film.

Negatives

Let me just get the usual stuff out of the way – nonsensical plot, a lot of conveniences (especially during the third act battle), plot armor, (a lot of action) for the sake of having action, invulnerable human characters, a generic baddie, gravity/physics-defying moments, etc. In other words, it’s a Fast & Furious movie. What’d you expect? Shakespeare? These will definitely annoy some but if you’re like me and know what to expect from a movie like this, the outlandish scenes will be fun.

That being said, Hobbs & Shaw is 2 hours and 16 minutes long, which is far from the run-time than it needs. Because of the lack of a proper narrative, the movie feels a little disjointed and sluggish at some points. In addition, certain storylines are introduced and are completely ignored, which begs the question as to why they were brought up in the first place.

Rating – Solid Recommendation

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is exactly the gonzo, high-octane, summer blockbuster we need right now. It’s an unapologetically goofy, over-the-top film, with great chemistry between the eponymous leads.

PS – There are 3 after-credit scenes, so stay through the entire film!!