• It puts together two strong forces into a love-hate relationship and uses comedy as the cure to their rivalry
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Helen Mirren
Primiere: August 2nd
It’s evident that since the death of Paul Walker, the original protagonist of the Fast & Furious franchise, fans have been worried about the fate of the films. Although the last film did well, it highlighted the glaring fact that the conclusion is nigh. However, two more films are set to be released before the franchise is concluded.
The studio found an ingenious way to keep the franchise alive by having spinoffs that keep the audience hooked in-between releases of Fast & Furious films. The first spinoff features two characters who joined the main films in the previous sequels as antagonists. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson joined the franchise in Fast Five as Luke Hobbs, a cop who had it in for Dominic Toretto, while Jason Stratham joined the cast in the sixth film as villain Deckard Shaw, who was seeking revenge against Dom.
The spinoff brings together the two rivals, forcing them to work together to fight Brixton, a rogue MI6 agent who has kidnapped Shaw’s sister Hattie. Hattie has injected herself with a deadly virus called Snowflake to keep it away from Brixton, who intends to weaponise it. Hobbs and Shaw must work together to cure Hattie as well as fight Brixton, who also happens to have genetically enhanced himself to have superhuman abilities.
The film has all the loveable qualities of the original franchise while introducing an inspired comical element from its two main stars. The rivalry, the banter, the exceedingly unrealistic stunts from Johnson and Statham are what make the movie brilliant. By putting together these two strong forces into a love-hate relationship and using comedy as the cure to their rivalry, the premise of Hobbs and Shaw becomes completely different from the serious-car-heist premise that is the central focus of the Fast and Furious franchise.
Vanessa Kirby is an excellent addition to the film as she manages to add a lot of pizzazz into the film, while being equally as badass as the guys.
Star rating: 4 stars