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Throughout its second decade, the Fast & Furious franchise has gone through a lot of changes. No longer just a bunch of movies about tough guys, hot girls, and fast cars, it’s taken on more intrigue and espionage. And in the franchise’s first spinoff film, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, a couple of the newer characters head out on a mission of their own.
Hobbs & Shaw pairs sworn enemies Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) to save the world from a deadly programmable virus. In an attempt to keep the virus out of the hands of a genetically engineered villain (Idris Elba), MI6 agent Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) implants the virus into herself before going on the run. Hobbs and Shaw are sent to London to track her and keep the virus from being released into the world in just a matter of days. But when they find her, they’re faced with a new set of challenges.
Though the franchise regulars weren’t recruited to help with this planet-saving mission, Hobbs & Shaw features everything else that you’d expect from a Fast & Furious movie. It’s loaded with action and one-liners—and there are plenty of fast cars, too. The clashing heroes bicker and crack jokes while battling one crew of bad guys after another in the most over-the-top and unbelievable ways.
Admittedly, the constant bickering between Hobbs and Shaw does tend to get old after a while—but they still make an entertaining duo. They’re tough guys with completely different styles—one slick and suave, one bold and burly—and though their personalities may clash, their differences also mean that there’s never a dull moment when these two are around.
And, of course, that’s the whole point here: over-the-top entertainment. Though some of the films in the franchise have been much stronger than others, no one really goes to a Fast & Furious movie for the brilliant writing. This one is long and meandering and filled with laughable implausibilities—and just when you think it’s about to come to an end, it just keeps going. If it weren’t so action-packed and amusing, it would be an exhausting experience.
If you’re looking for some brainless action and laughs while you hide from the heat at your favorite theater, Hobbs & Shaw checks all of the boxes. It isn’t the best film in the expanding Fast & Furious franchise, but the unlikely duo will keep you entertained.
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