347. Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw; movie review

FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS HOBBS & SHAW
Cert 12A
131 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, infrequent strong language

As Dwayne Johnson boasts, here is an "ice-cold can of whup-ass."
Switch off your brain, kick off your shoes and settle down to some of the most imaginative action seen in the movies.
Of course, I can't go too crazy over a Fast & Furious film because acting is negligible, the storyline is twig-thin and character exploration is superficial.
But Fast & Furious fans aren't bothered with all of that - they want to see super-quick cars, explosions and bish-bash-bosh fight scenes. And that is exactly what they get in this spin-off.
The plot surrounds the existence of a biological weapon in the form of a highly dangerous virus which an MI6 agent (Vanessa Kirby) is forced to inject into herself.
This prevents it from getting into the hands of a villain (Idris Elba) who has been enhanced with layers of artificial intelligence and super-human strength.
Elba's character is leading a movement which threatens to wipe out inferior beings so it can take over the world.
Yes, the Fast & Furious has gone on to a whole new plane.
To be fair, while the mission may require a superhero, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Shaw (Jason Statham) don't aspire to such heights.
They just use brawn, bullets and some very sharp driving skills to take on what initially seems to be an unassailable opponent.
And they seem to be having fun not only in the action scenes but also with mocking each other and even themselves.
Their humour is complemented by the star comedy of Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart who each have offbeat cameos.
David Leith's film works because it knows exactly what it is trying to be - a big action movie with a bit of mickey-taking.
I'd recommend it after a tough day when your brain needs a night off.

Reasons to watch: The chases and the humour
Reasons to avoid: Acting is not high on the agenda

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? In October 2018, Fast & Furious franchise producer Neal H. Moritz filed a lawsuit against Universal Pictures for breach of oral contract and committing promissory fraud after the distributor removed him as lead producer for Hobbs & Shaw.

Final word. Chris Morgan: "When we did Fast 8, remember the sequence in the prison and we played Dwayne and Jason against each other and they went to town on each other throwing insults? That’s the moment that we knew – and the studio knew, specifically – that if we ever wanted to expand the Fastuniverse, it’s probably with those two guys." Slash Film

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