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Hobbs & Shaw Review: The Rock and Jason Statham's film is an action extravaganza packed with a hearty punch
Hobbs & Shaw Review: The Rock and Jason Statham turn out to be an unlikely boisterous bromance you root for but the real star of the film is Vanessa Kirby, who stands in equal measure with the men. It's not just the boys who have all the fun!
Hobbs & Shaw
Hobbs & Shaw Director: David Leitch
Hobbs & Shaw Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Helen Mirren
Hobbs & Shaw Stars: 3.5/5
Getting out of the theatre, the first thought that struck me (happens every time I see an action movie!) is how everyone is susceptible to bullets except the main hero of the film. Does it happen in Hobbs & Shaw? Yes. Did I mind? Yes. But that's just a minor glitch in what was actually, constructive attention to detailing when it comes to the action sequences.
Let's face it, you're not watching the movie for Oscar-worthy performances and conventional storylines. It's all about the fast and the furious! There are the good guys and the bad guys! Surprisingly, the F&F spin-off steers clear from nostalgic callbacks from its rich history and instead focuses on its titular characters - Hobbs and Shaw. The movie is 2 hours and 15 minutes of action extravaganza that keeps you entertained well untill the last tick of the clock. Major kudos go to the stunt crew who keep the magnanimity of the sequences intact but make it look realistic. The higher the risk, the sleeker the action. Whether it be Jason Statham tackling 10 guys at once and looking like a fine gentleman while doing so or The Rock pulling a Captain America and stopping a freaking helicopter with his own bare hands while also looking like a handsome and ripped fella. The action scenes have been balanced out impeccably through the cinematography by Jonathan Sela and editing by Christian Wagner and Elisabet Rónaldsdóttir. Even the lighting at certain instances was a charming device to play with. The soundtrack has been used effectively as well, especially when its time to beat up the bad guys. The melodramatic background score during the emotional scenes could have been avoided.
What made Fast & Furious such a successful franchise was not just the cars (which are aplenty in Hobbs & Shaw along with monster trucks that fly!) but the intricacies of a family. Similarly, The Rock takes advantage of the film to bring to light his home, Samoa, which is his bloodline. No expense was spared in showcasing the picturesque location that put London and Moscow to shame. Some of the best shots in the movie are the ones that take place in Samoa.
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker's camaraderie shouldered the F&F franchise and The Rock and Jason Statham are not that far behind with their boisterous bromance. Yes, the close-up shots where it seems a teleprompter was used got a bit too much and some of the dialogues felt like an eighth-grader wrote it but the duo worked off of each other's pros and blended humour with some major butt-kicking! They make you root for Hobbs and Shaw as they to outdo each other with one impossible stunt after another. Then we have Idris Elba, adding the superhero element as the Black Superman... Brixton Lore. He even has a uniform! Perfect casting choice as Idris plays the perfect charismatic foil to the overbearing personalities of Hobbs and Shaw.
The real hero of the film, however, is Vanessa Kirby as Hattie Shaw who isn't just another eye candy and instead, matched up to the intensity of the two male leads. Why should boys have all the fun? Instead of surprise stunts here and there, she plays an equal counterpart and makes you want to retitle the film as Hattie, Hobbs & Shaw. A major problem that I had was with the treatment of Roman Reigns' character. No dialogues, just a spear and a Samoan drop! We'd have rather just stuck to his WWE matches, to be honest.
ALSO READ: Hobbs & Shaw LA Premiere: The Rock, Jason Statham, Idris Elba & Roman Reigns are all suited up
Directed by David Leitch, whose directing credits include Deadpool 2 (*wink, wink*), has cleverly used the strengths of Dwayne and Jason. He's brought out the trash-talking Rock and The Transporter's Statham to play and give us a wildly entertaining film that is worth every penny.
At the end of the day, Hobbs & Shaw is all heart and full of show, with a sprinkle of unmissable cameos and tons of Game of Thrones references! Also, watch out for a post-credits scene!
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