What happens when you get two of the most recent and hot-headed additions to the long-running "Fast & Furious" film franchise together to star in their own spin-off movie? All the bromance, bickering, and action driven adrenaline you'd expect as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their roles as federal agent Luke Hobbs and mercenary Deckard Shaw - teaming up as unlikely allies to save Deckard's sister and take on a new threat in the aptly named "Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw".
Thanks to UIP Philippines, I got to see the IMAX premiere screening of Hobbs & Shaw last night - and to say it was something totally action-packed, hilarious, family oriented, and fun is just the perfect way to describe this adventure that doesn't involve the gang led by Vin Diesel. Because of their perfect rivalry against one another in the past Furious film "The Fate of the Furious", Hobbs and Shaw have shown funny testosterone driven chemistry together which caught the attention of the filmmakers. Directed by David Leitch, this movie is a result of that "friendly rivalry", and now we get two mega stars ready to work together... If they can survive and stand one another first.
Besides The Rock and Statham getting most of the spotlight, they are joined by Idris Elba - who plays their common enemy and cyborg enhanced "Black Superman" foe named Brixton Lore. This challenge puts the "Brains and Brawn" dynamic distributed between our two heroes to the test, as well as the fact they go on a Globe-Trotting adventure that takes the adventure to London, Russia, and The Rock's own ancestral home of Samoa. Vanessa Kirby debuts as Hattie Shaw - the younger sister of Deckard and Owen (Luke Evans), and she pretty much holds her own as a tough lady who can take care of herself despite the dangers and high stakes that come in this film. We also get to see familiar faces who play the brothers of Hobbs - including Cliff Curtis, Roman Reigns, Josh Mauga, and John Tui. Helen Mirren also returns as Queenie Shaw - the mother of Deckard and Hattie.
Bottomline, Hobbs & Shaw is a fun and brainless adventure that can stand on its own two feet despite living off the legacy of the Fast & Furious films. There's really nothing new added here save for expanding on the relationship between the two "frenemies" and seeing more of their family and background previously unexplored in recent entries. It's recommended you see the past films to see the past adventures and backgrounds of our two protagonists before diving into this one. The franchise shows no signs of slowing down, and it gets more bold and ambitious with each new entry that it can be described like a "nitro fueled car on steroids" with every adventure we see. I expect the next Furious film to follow suit and give us plenty more fun with cars and high stakes while highlighting the importance of family as always.
Fast & Furious" Hobbs & Shaw is now showing in theaters courtesy of UIP Movies Philippines and distributed through Columbia Pictures Philippines.
Rating - 3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment