'Hobbs & Shaw' is Fast, Furious, and Funny

The Fast & Furious movies will not back down from the franchise era of the film industry. After eight films that left a mark in all racecar buffs, heist lovers, and Paul Walker fans around the world, it has now reached a status where they can produce their own spinoff, and alas, they did.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their roles as the titular Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw.

Photo Credit: United International Pictures

The film starts off with an action-packed chase between Idris Elba as Brixton Lorr, a cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist, and Vanessa Kirby as Hattie, a fearless MI6 agent--both are in pursuit of gaining control of a bio-threat virus called "The Snowflake". A huge detriment to mankind, America's Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs, and former British military operative Deckard Shaw were summoned to acquire possession of this virus from spreading all across the globe. The catch? They hate each other's guts. To complicate the scenario, Hattie turns out to be Shaw's long lost sister, who also developed a little bit of sexual tension with Hobbs.

Hobbs & Shaw is a change of gear from the franchise as we know it. It was initially about illegal street racing, then evolved to heist and spies, and now it seems like it wants to reach a broader audience by amping up the action, and even the humor. It doesn't hurt that they cast the currently most cash-grabbing charismatic actor, Dwayne Johnson. Combine his toughie but softie persona with Jason Statham's hot-headed macho character, it's a perfect formula for a love-hate dynamic.

Despite being in the franchise since 2011, we only knew a little about their backstories. Hobbs & Shaw changes that effectively by giving both characters a proper intro, not only fleshing out their persona, but introducing their families as well via a side-by-side juxtaposition of their daily routine--from how they start their day, to their family interaction, and their career.

Their huge differences are well-highlighted, so it's really fun to watch the characters endlessly one-up and trash talk each other. It never even gets tiring. Vanessa Kirby's presence is a huge help to distract these two from destroying each other, and from becoming repetitive. Kirby, who's also a comedian and a budding action leading lady, has never been this distinctive in a film since her stint in Mission Impossible: Fallout.

But it's not all fun, as usual, it's still as action-packed as before, if not more. And it helps a lot that they've utilized new locations to provide never-before-seen action. London and Los Angeles may not be new, but the scenes including a toxic factory wasteland in Moscow, and the mountains and cliffs of Samoa are refreshing and incredibly exciting. Idris Elba's mechanic body also makes him semi-invincible and difficult-to-defeat. His final act with Statham and Johnson is epic. Sure, some side details like Elba's robotic body may not make sense, it's still nothing short of entertaining.

Photo Credit: United International Pictures

Overall, Hobbs & Shaw may have deviated from the familiar characters OG fans have learned to love, Statham and Johnson are good replacements from the likes of Vin Diesel, Walker, and Michelle Rodriguez. I won't even be surprised if they take charge of the future of this franchise. And to be honest, they just might.